Police receive help with youth activities
When members of the Police Department are in the news it’s usually because they’ve either captured a criminal or have themselves been accused of a crime. But a significant portion of the department’s work involves proactive efforts in the community … and those good deeds were recognised today.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
It is expected that over four hundred youths between the ages of eight and seventeen years old will participate in the 2006 Easter Sport Camp. The annual activity, hosted by the Police Department, helps to promote discipline and responsibility in the young persons, who come largely from the different district formations of the Youth Cadet Corp. Today that programme received an added boost in the form of a donation of medals and trophies from the Belize Ex-Servicemen?s League of New York.
Gerald Westby, Police Commissioner
?This has always provided excellent and entertaining competition between the youths, wholesome competition, and this has worked extremely well and we want to thank Mr. Jex because we have to normally buy, purchase the trophies, but this will certainly go along way.?
Reginald Jex, Member, Bze. Ex-Service league, New York
?I do sports in New York and I am a member of the Belize Ex-Servicemen League and when we read about this Police Youth Cadet Corps, we decide we might as well take on the responsibility to give back to the community and the kids to the Police Youth Cadet Corps.?
The police also received special trophies that were awarded to this year?s officers of month, namely P.C. Juan Sam, P.C. Fernando Valladarez, and P.C. Joel Grinage. Superintendent Yolanda Murray, who is retiring next year, was also recognised for her outstanding service and dedication to the Police Youth Corps Programme and the community for some thirty-three years. Police Commissioner Gerald Westby was also presented with a special plaque that will be awarded along with one thousand dollars to the first cyclist who reaches mile twenty-four in the Holy Saturday Cross Country race. The plaque commemorates those officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Gerald Westby
?Well to me this is very, very important. Too often we tend to forget those who have sacrificed and gave their lives in the line of duty. And so this will, ever year, have a memory in memory of the officers and it will certainly go a long way to acknowledge and appreciate our fallen officers.?
Corporal Fernando Rosado and Police Constable Uwin Armstrong were killed in 2001 and 2004 respectively.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting for News Five.
Also at today’s ceremony National Transport Services announced that uniformed police officers will ride free on any of the company’s bus routes.
