Capital City enforces quality of life crimes
Alvan Gentle
The Police Department launched its Quality of Life Program to warn the public that offenses such as public drinking, loitering, and littering are against the law. Persons can be ticketed and fines levied for these offenses—some up to five hundred dollars. Since June twelfth the campaign has been in full swing in the Capital as the police department, under the command of Superintendent Alvan Gentle, along with wardens of the Belmopan Council, has been ticketing offenders. Superintendent Gentle says for him, it is simply a way of life and he intends to give residents a safer community by stopping crime from its roots.
Supt. Alvan Gentle, O.C., Belmopan
“For me, even when I was here before; it’s a way of working. A former Police Commissioner mentioned that we are supposed to work smarter and I believe that is the way the police should go. Many times we overlook the little things and it is the little things that causes the bigger things to happen—so to speak. Simple things like loitering, double-riding on bicycles, public drinking and all these things. These are things that people out there; when they are engaged in loitering, when they are engaged in public drinking, when they are engaged in double-riding on bicycles, these are incidents that give them the opportunity to create bigger crime such as robbery or even burglary or even shootings and these things. The police has embarked, I must say the police department and more so the Belmopan police and even myself as Officer Commanding—that is a way that I’ve been working ever since. We try to get rid of little things in order to prevent the bigger things and as it is rightly called, the Quality of Life Offences; when people feel free, when people see the police are working and do these little things, then they will feel free to walk about—that peace of mind to go back into the parks, go back to church, go back to the shopping centers and things like that and the quality of life will change and increase because people have confidence in their community once again. We have been around vigilantly where people have been arrested, people have been tickets, bicycle offences especially have been ticketed and those who are ticketed are directed to go and pay their fine to the City Council where the bicycle is brought here to the station and upon their receipt that they have paid their ticket as well as proof that this bicycle belongs to them, then they their bicycles will be handed back to them.”
Is this a joke? No wonder we have so much crime. Police need to do more than giving tickets for double riding. Look for tinted windows,for guns. For people on each corner selling drugs. Nasty drunks at the park. The goverment need money now they will give us tickets for everything.
Goes to show you how idiotic this gov. Is look what they are worrying about when the murder rate has surpassed last year people dying all over the place theft is completely out of control rape is rampant corruption rampant and he is worried about trivial things I mean what is wrong with the people in this gov are they all just plain stupid or what worse gov in the history of this great nation.
I disagree totally with above. Yes we should address these misdemeanours( they are not crimes) but must not waste our scarce resources on them but dedicate them(resources) to fighting real hard core crimes like gangsterism, rape, child molestation, murder,corruption in government, breaching of our borders( border Mgt. authority is a waste of $) for starters. Seems like Saldivar, under instructions from his boss , is trying to create a decoy, distraction, from our real economic problems and create more problems for the country by creating greater profits for the John Woods and Hattieville prison system by generating more crimes and more prisoners for more government dollars. John Saldivar wants some of that dough, you ……..!! Watch out Belizeans for more fraud by those in government with silliness like this. The police can create any kinds of crime anytime and fine you especially now to generate revenue to pay cost of government. Word to the wise- it is easier and cleaner to just increase tax on wages by 10% more.
Excellent!
Good advice and initiative Mr. Gentle.
The “broken windows” approach was tried with great success in the States, in New York and a few other cities. I’m willing to see how it plays out for a while, see if it makes a difference.
I hope it doesn’t just become a system for “taxing” the average person by imposing new fines that the government uses foolishly and greedily. That will alienate the law-abiding, working people the police need to support them. I generally trust Supt. Gentle, so I am willing to give him enough rope to try his approach.
look for tinted vehicles…….jajajaja… that’s a joke right????
wasnt the anti-tint law suppose to curb crime siginificantly??? people are still shooting each other from BICYCLES….. and Vasquez did not need a TINTED vehicle to go around preying on children…. wake up Belizeans.,…..
sorry couldnt hold myself!!!
Just another strategic to charge people out there. Have you guys decreased the crime rate yet Mr. Gentle? Nope i dont think so.
Really now is the government that stooopid to to realize that these petty crimes are not the source of the evils taking place in Belize. What about the almost daily murders, breaking-ins, drug trafficking and other crimes? How about making the community safe and stop paying he gangs who channel their money into more drugs and crime.
I guess we live in “cow boy” town now and we not really interesting in going after the real criminals.
Good luck on this no-account en-devour.
Great idea and about time. The blind rebel rousers can’t get it. most of the people who commit these offenses are the “Real” criminals you speak of. By addressing these issues the police will have justifiable & lawful reasons to stop, search & even take them off the streets. Lets take the binders off and look at the entire picture people. do you think serious criminals sit home in the dark and only come out when they want to commit a crime ? No, they are the same one who have no respect for the simplest of laws.
“when they are engaged in double-riding on bicycles, these are incidents that give them the opportunity to create bigger crime such as robbery or even burglary or even shootings and these things.”
really, is this the work of the police now, my wife rides her bike with my kid to school cause we can’t afford to drive my kid to school like Mr. gentle. while my wife ride with my kid to school at any moment she is engage in any plans of robbery and to spit on top of it shoot somebody. If she would be a black person i would say well they might have a little reason but no she ain’t. this wannabe cops only want to cause a diversion to the real problem we have in belize with real crime.
damn!!! in my area some many ladies ride their bike with the kid on the crossbar because of need to carry the kid to school cause we’re poor and the distance is far. while same my area a young black police stop by to smoke his weeds with the weed seller. when they raid the weed seller they can’t find nothing. how funny eh, cause it seems that the same police alerts the seller before the other fool reach. but yet the want to ticket certain needed people because of double riding when the real problem they seem to ignore it or lack of professionalism. my words to mr. gentle is this is bull crap your trying to implement deal with the real crime first and leave the scraps for the little constables.
TINTED VEHICLES IS A BIG JOKE !!!!
LOOK AT ALL THE GUATEMALANS DRIVING TAXI UP THERE IN SAN IGNACIO WITH HEAVILY DARK TINTED GLASSES. THEY DON`T EVEN OBEY THE TRAFFIC SIGNS, NONE AT ALL, WHAT FOR…BELICE ES NUESTRO!!!
GRACIAS POR LAS LICENCIAS DE TAXI A LOS GUATEMALTECOS !!!
you josephino needs to understand that a Guatemalan driving or Mexican driving a car with tinted Glasses should not be a greate deal just ask them to bringdown there GLASSES like the mexican warn belizean to bring down there glasses. member these people just comes to visit our country for days or week and left so dont harras them men infact them bring in income to our country