Where Will Mob Justice Take Us!

Monitor Editor | Monday February 4, 2019 17:22

Of late, Batswana seem to be so outraged with thieves that they are always ready to pounce on alleged thieves, a minute someone shouts word thief.

Mob justice has sometimes even led to suspects dying at the hands of those who usually say ‘they are fixing the country’.

However, the reality of the matter is that mob justice also has its own challenges, as at times an innocent person might end up badly injured or dead, as a result of a mistaken identity. Yes, the justice system needs to be reviewed, and impose stiffer penalties on criminals, who seem to believe they have the right to terrorise others.

There is yet another issue, that is shop lifting, which can be done by people of different ages, from the young to the old.

We all know that shoplifting is wrong, and it is also punishable by law, but it is important for shop managers and owners to follow the right channels when they catch shoplifters.

Recently, there were reports of a certain manager who caught a 12-year- old boy shoplifting through the store’s inhouse CCTV cameras.

It is alleged that the manager dragged the boy to the storeroom, stripped him, and battered him while naked, and warned him never to steal again. The boy according to his mother sustained injuries, which kept him away from school for three days.

Most communities believe that it is the responsibility of the elderly to ensure that our young ones grow up in an upright way, to ensure that they grow into responsible law abiding citizens. This system if properly practised is a noble one, even though some parents do not take kindly to non-family members meddling into their family affairs.

There is no doubt that what the young boy did was wrong and he needed to know that and be warned never to do that again, but there are channels the store manager should have followed.

The store manager should have sought assistance from law enforcement officers, who would have engaged the boy’s family since he is a minor.

The manager by taking the law into his own hands, of course put the young boy’s health at risk, and it could translate into a serious offence for him.

Another challenge is that since the store did not involve parents, there was a possibility that parents would have been clueless about the shoplifting, and not play any role in making sure their son knows that shoplifting is a crime, punishable by law.

Let us just learn to allow relevant authorities to do their work diligently.