Traffic officers honoured by CITCO
Dressed in black and white, they are probably the most visible symbols of law enforcement in Belize City…and while they don’t carry guns, the sight of a traffic officer getting ready to write a ticket has been known to induce fear–not to mention anger–in even the toughest driver. This morning News 5’s Jacqueline Woods saw a kinder and gentler side of these often abused men and women.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Motorist caught in one of the city’s frequent traffic jams may wonder whether the traffic officers actually help or hinder the situation. But with thousands of vehicles, and close to one hundred and twenty-five traffic violations committed everyday, the job of controlling the movement of vehicles in the old capital is becoming a challenge.
Pablo August, Traffic Officer
“Nowadays it look like people don’t want to walk and the traffic jam out there is not easy. And if you stop something for some kind of purposes, you know you wah got a big line and the people will feel like you’re just stopping because you want, but no. Traffic is very hectic out there.”
Pablo August is one of thirty-one traffic officers assigned to the city streets. These men and women work under stressful conditions to ensure that there is a smooth flow of traffic with as few mishaps as possible. Although no officer has been seriously injured on the job, they are sometimes the victim of threats.
Elsiemae Patterson, Traffic Officer
“You are out there, you try to be nice to people, you have good P.R. and they just have attitudes. You have to really, really try to cope with people out there. Sometimes they want to hit you, they give you stats like they want to shoot you, stuff like that. But you have to be nice to them and calm them down.”
Pablo August
“Especially if I issue a violation ticket, you wah hear all kind of bad words, they insult you about whatsoever thing you have to do with them. These people will not appreciate that you are trying to educate and enforce whatsoever you have to do on the streets.”
Although some motorists may not respect traffic officers, the ability for these employees to conduct themselves in a professional manner under difficult circumstances, has not gone unnoticed. The reward came in the form of certificates presented to twenty of the traffic officers for their outstanding work.
Kent Gabb, Traffic Manager
“For quite a while these officers have been out there. They have been putting their all into the traffic management of the city of Belize and we decided it was time for us to award these officers for their outstanding performance and the lot of negative behaviour that they have to, everyday while doing their duties, that they have to endure. We decided it was time to award them.”
The Traffic Department works closely with the police. According to police commissioner Carmen Zetina, it is all a part of his department’s five-year strategic plan.
Carmen Zetina, Police Commissioner
“Before we joined forces, you notice that there was somewhat of more accident happening; traffic was going somewhat unregulated. But since we have joined forces you can see the difference, that we have less traffic accidents occurring in Belize City, we have more enforcement taking place and less traffic violations.”
It is not the first time that outstanding traffic officers have been recognised, but it was the first time that the occasion was held on such a grand scale. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
In related news, since July third, two hundred and fifty motorists have been ticketed as part of Operation National Impact, an effort by the Department of Transport to take unsafe cars and drivers off the road. Of the two hundred and fifty violations, seventy-five were for defective lights, while thirty-three involved unlicensed vehicles.
