Re-Evaluation Coming for Operation ACT

Last October, the Police Department launched Operation ACT as a means of tackling crime on Southside of Belize City. It had its successes and failures, but with the breakdown over the weekend comes a call for sober re-assessment of where the operation is going and where it needs to be targeted. Deputy Commissioner of Police Chester Williams also warned that the criminals will not be getting too many chances to straighten up and fly right.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations)

“When the need arises for tough policing, I will be the first to support it. Because we cannot, and will not, be giving people too many chances. You get a chance, make good use of that chance that you get; if you screw up that chance, do not expect that the softer side of policing will come to you. They will then be experiencing that tough side of policing. So the important thing is for us to strike a balance. Secondly, we also need to look at our operational effectiveness. In the sense that to what extent are we maximizing on our resources be it both human and vehicular resources, to be able to cover those areas that we need to cover on a daily basis that are classified as known hotspots. So we need to look at how we can retool, or to use a proper term, to reevaluate how effective is the ACT operation and to see where we need to strengthen it, then we must do so.”