San Pedranos arrested for airport trespass

How many times in Belize–not to mention elsewhere–does a major catastrophe prompt a high profile official response, which often amounts to too little, too late. Today we are pleased to report a different situation: authorities working proactively to prevent a disaster before it happens. The scene was San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, where this morning eleven people were arrested for trespassing on the San Pedro airstrip. According to officer in charge, Assistant Inspector Linden Flowers, pilots and civil aviation authorities have become increasingly concerned with residents using the busy airstrip as a shortcut to get from one side of the island to the other. Three weeks ago a young child was found wandering on the runway and while there was no collision with a plane, it was enough to spur police into action. Of the ten men and one woman arrested, nine are Belizean and two from elsewhere in Central America. They will face fines under the Civil Aviation Authority Act. It may be recalled that a number of years ago a young girl was killed in Belize City as she rode her bicycle across the seawall at the east end of the municipal airstrip. She did not notice a small plane coming in for a landing and was ripped to shreds by the propeller. Hopefully, the early action by police in San Pedro may prevent a similar tragedy.