…in bid to combat crime in communities
Moroke Sekoboto
THE Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will today officially launch the Lehokela Application alongside a suite of strategic policing and ICT initiatives aimed at strengthening crime prevention and community safety.
The launch, to be held at the Police Training College (PTC) in Maseru, marks what stakeholders describe as “a significant milestone in advancing community-driven violence prevention and sustainable peace in Lesotho.”
The Lehokela Application is an innovative digital platform co-developed by LMPS in partnership with UNDP, the National University of Lesotho (NUL) and Econet Telecom Lesotho (ETL).
According to a statement issued yesterday, “the application enables community members and Community Policing Committees (CPCs) to report incidents of violence and crime in real time using mobile technology.”
The platform allows users to submit reports through text, images, audio and location-sharing features, a development expected to improve communication between communities and the police while enabling faster and more coordinated responses.
“It also strengthens accountability and supports data-driven policing,” the statement said, noting that the initiative represents a shift toward inclusive, technology-enabled policing.
Stakeholders further emphasised that the system is designed to respond to evolving security challenges, including gender-based violence and community-level crime.
The launch will also see the unveiling of key institutional frameworks guiding the modernisation of policing in Lesotho. These include a Five-Year Strategic Plan for LMPS, a Digital Transformation Strategy, a Digital Policy Framework, and a Community Policing Sub-Strategic Plan.
“These frameworks were developed with technical support from UNDP and are aligned with national development priorities, with a focus on prevention, accountability, and strengthening citizen–state relations,” the statement said.
As part of the ICT Enablement Initiative, police stations across the country will be equipped with digital infrastructure, including desktop computers, to improve case monitoring, coordination of responses and timely support to victims.
The programme forms part of broader efforts to address persistent challenges such as gender-based violence, theft and community unrest.
By strengthening communication channels and empowering communities to actively participate in peacebuilding, authorities say the initiative aims to foster safer and more resilient communities.
Expected outcomes include improved communication between communities and police, faster response times to incidents, enhanced victim support services, strengthened trust between citizens and law enforcement, and the establishment of a centralised digital system for tracking crime and violence.
“Sustainability remains a core pillar of the initiative. The digital tools and systems introduced will be managed by LMPS, with continued capacity-building support to ensure long-term effectiveness, while community ownership will be reinforced through the active involvement of CPCs.”
