Transnational Organised Crime in Botswana: Exploring Security Threats and Policy Responses

Abstract

Transnational organised crime has emerged as a major non-traditional security threat that undermines national security, governance and sustainable development through increasingly sophisticated cross-border criminal networks. Although Botswana is recognised for its political stability and strong governance institutions, it has become increasingly exposed to crimes such as human trafficking, migrant smuggling, wildlife trafficking, money laundering and illicit financial flows. Existing studies have examined these crimes independently, leaving limited understanding of transnational organised crime as an integrated security and policy challenge. This study explored the nature and scope of transnational organised crime in Botswana, analysed its implications for peace and security, examined implementation of the country's legal, institutional and regional policy responses. Guided by interpretivism research philosophy, the study employed a qualitative exploratory design. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 purposively selected employed participants from government agencies and supplemented by documentary analysis. The data was analysed thematically. The findings reveal that transnational organised crime in Botswana is increasingly interconnected and facilitated by porous borders, technological innovation and regional integration with significant implications for human security, economic stability and institutional governance. Botswana established comprehensive legal and institutional frameworks, their effectiveness is constrained by implementation gaps, limited institutional capacity and uneven regional cooperation. It concludes that strengthening intelligence-led policing, interagency coordination, border security and regional collaboration is essential for Botswana's effective response to transnational organised crime. It contributes evidence to the limited literature on transnational organised crime in Botswana and provides policy insights for strengthening security governance across the Southern African region.