Police Commissioner responds to island crime
It’s a town dependent on tourism that has increasingly seen its image as a tropical paradise overshadowed by a string of violent crimes. Today the Commissioner of Police visited San Pedro to respond to the community’s concerns. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods has more.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Police Commissioner Gerald Westby is optimistic that a change in high command in San Pedro Ambergris Caye, along with a joint community effort will effectively address the crime problem on that bustling island town.
Gerald Westby, Police Commissioner
?We recognise that there was a need for more police, so what we?re doing to get the community involved by reinstituting the Special Constable programme and we started a training programme for them this morning and they will complement the effort of the trained police out in San Pedro. And the good thing about it is that the San Pedro Town Board will be footing the stipend that they get, so it?s a community effort; they are helping us and they have more visibility on the streets to prevent crime.?
Westby says the initiative is not unique to San Pedro, but will be extended to other parts of the country as well.
Gerald Westby
?Two Fridays ago I was in Placencia, Seine Bight and the same commitment from both Placencia and Seine Bight where the Special Constables will be trained. We are also pushing the Guard Net programme where we will be having radio communication with the different resorts and different prominent citizens, so the business community is very much on board and then they will be able to communicate with the police on a twenty-four hour basis. So we are promoting and pushing for more community participation, tangible participation, not lip service.?
It is expected that a total of twelve special constables will be working in San Pedro. Once sworn in, they will have the same authority as the regular police officers. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.
Command of the San Pedro police station has been taken over by Inspector Joaquin Sabal.
