Police catch burglars, loot
While at least one bad man is roaming the streets with an AK 47, there are three others who will be chilling for a while in Hattieville. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods this morning took a look at some of their handiwork.
Three young men are expected to be charged after authorities found this assortment of jewelry hidden in a deep freeze at one of the suspect’s home. Police say on May fourteenth, the suspects went into the Buttonwood Bay Area and burglarized the home of thirty-year old Viola Turcios. The items were inside a safe located in one of the bedrooms and the thieves wasted no time in taking out the metal box, the contents of which were valued at fifty thousand dollars. Police say while they did not recover all of the stolen jewelry, they did come across other ornaments inside this black case that was buried in one of the suspect’s yard. They are believed to have been stolen in other robberies.
SGT. Chester Williams, Officer In Charge, C.I.U
“Those that were stolen from her house was claimed by her and we have a number of others unclaimed at this time and we have called in other complainants from other burglaries to come in and view to see if they are related to their burglary at their home.”
Officer in Charge of the Criminal Investigation Unit, Sgt. Chester Williams, says there has been a decline in the number of burglaries committed in Belize City. But authorities remain vigilant.
Sgt. Chester Williams
“And the police are doing their utmost best to combat the burglary situation. We have extra patrols in the most vulnerable areas of burglaries to see how best we can contain the burglary situation. In connection to the burglary in Buttonwood Bay, we received a call from a neighbor who said that from the time when the guys started casing the residence, she had called the police but the police did not show up until after the burglars left the residence. I mean she said she called three times. When they were casing the house, when the robbery was in progress and when they were actually leaving the house with the safe. Jackie, I am not in the position to comment on that. Personally my office did not receive any call in respect to any burglary and if the control room receive any call, I don’t know so I can’t comment on that.”
Meanwhile the C.I.U is improving its resources to deal with crime. Today, Fultec Systems donated a computer to the department.
Trevor Reneau, Sales Manager, Fultec Systems
“Fultec Systems has decided to assist the department because it is our social responsibility to society and one of these social responsibilities we are taking care of by donating this P.C. to the police department to help alleviate crime.”
Sgt. Chester Willaims
“The reason for C.I.U. to be computerized is due to the type of data that we keep at this unit, we have the criminal rogues gallery which is a photo slide show and we also have the criminal profile that is the written criminal profile of each criminals who came into the hands of the police.”
The computer and accessories is valued at over four thousand dollars. Jacqueline Woods for News Five
In related news the police have announced a beefed up presence in connection with this weekend’s agriculture and trade show in Belmopan. Checkpoints will be established on all road routes to the event and drunk drivers will be specially targeted.
