Police will keep the peace at the polls
The complement of the Belize Police Department will be deployed into the streets of Belize City, as well as other municipalities across the country tonight, in anticipation of the opening of polls on Wednesday morning. With pre-election activities taking place, the department has ramped up law enforcement efforts to safeguard the citizenry. This morning, Assistant Commissioner of Police Edward Broaster informed the media that all hands are on deck for the Municipal Elections.
ACP Edward Broaster, Operations Commander, BPD
ACP Edward Broaster
“The police has the members of the police department from different detachments in full force in all districts and towns for the city and town councils elections and already we are having problems with different political parties with signs and banners and so forth which we are addressing as we speak. But we have the numbers to police the election and we hope that we have a peaceful election as has been the tradition in Belize.”
Isani Cayetano
“Can you speak to us on what kind of problems you’re facing with these political organizations. You mentioned signage, what specifically is the issue with that?”
ACP Edward Broaster
“Like I said, it’s just signage as in positioning of signs and so forth and those we are addressing with the Elections and Boundaries and the political parties involved.”
Isani Cayetano
“Given the climate in Belize City, for instance, where there has been a spate of shooting incidents and other, let’s say, gang related crimes, does the department have the resources, either vehicular, manpower or what-have-you, to be able to patrol certain areas and of course be able to safeguard some of the voting stations in the city?”
ACP Edward Broaster
“We will be safeguarding all the voting stations countrywide. We don’t foresee any problems in that area. We have been maintaining some of the areas that we know we’ll be having problems and these are outside of the voting stations and areas of elections. But that is our job to try and ensure that we have not only peaceful elections, but a peaceful society on a whole.”
Reporter
“So you guys already have set how many officers will be stationed at the different polling areas and what teams and so forth will be out on the ground?”
ACP Edward Broaster
“Yes, we have disseminated our operation orders as to police deployment across the cities and towns.”
Isani Cayetano
“The consumption of alcohol, albeit that there won’t be any allowance for the sale of alcohol tomorrow, a lot of people are stocking up and some of the voters and the party supporters will be out there drinking tomorrow. Do you guys have any plan on cracking down on public consumption of alcohol tomorrow?”
ACP Edward Broaster
“Well we will really have to look at the situation when it comes to public drinking. Sometimes it only takes one incident for the police to get engaged and whether or not it’s a lawful engagement people want to find excuses to trigger incidents. And so we would have to look at those situations and decide whether or not it is actionable for us to deal with on the spot or we look at dealing with it through summons.”
