Cops reach out to communities

With the Easter holidays upon us, the Police Department embarked today on a community outreach program in the City’s hot spots to keep criminals at bay. The department hopes that building relations will assist with crime prevention and ultimately lead to safer communities. Police were on the beat in two neighborhoods earlier today and News Five’s Isani Cayetano teamed up with them in the Port Loyola area.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

A group of approximately forty police officers, a majority of whom are relatively new to the department, descended upon Port Loyola shortly after ten o’clock this morning.  Their presence in the area wasn’t to conduct a sting operation, instead it is part of a massive community outreach, organized to acquaint the intake with the neighborhood.

Police Constable Jermaine Neal, Fabers Road Substation

Jermaine Neal

“This is a meet and great effort from the Police Department in respect to getting the knowledge out there to the public that the police is here to assist.  We will continue our efforts, especially during the Easter events, keeping the community safe, making sure that yes, there might be problems but if there is we are here to stand at our word to protect and serve.”

Their approach is to build meaningful relationships with residents of the area, which in turn should ease the burden of the department in cracking cases.

P.C. Jermaine Neal

“We are here to protect them as well and we are here to assure them that their properties, their homes, their loved ones will be safeguarded. These officers are going house to house in an effort to publicize to the public, you know, have them know that our efforts are here.  We will work.  We will continue to be a part of this community, as what we’ve said, the community and the police working together for a safer Belize.

The most effective means of achieving that goal is to reintroduce these men and women to their community as peacekeepers.

P.C. Jermaine Neal

“All our officers here, majority of them are from this area, working, posted here and Fabers Road and they are familiar with some of the concerns and the citizenry of this area as well.”

Isani Cayetano

“What has been the reception from residents in this community?”

P.C. Jermaine Neal

“Well actually it is great.  People love seeing the police out.  They applaud the efforts, I mean it’s welcoming the response that we get from the public in this effort here.”

A similar initiative is being undertaken in the Lake Independence area where officers have been deployed into the vicinity to commence foot patrols, as well as meeting with residents to listen to and address problems relating to crime and violence. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.