Veteran cop retires after 35 years
Over the last decade his name has become synonymous with efforts to tame the ever-increasing volume of traffic on our nation’s streets and highways. And today was Martin Yama’s last day on the job. This morning we spoke as he cleaned out his desk.
A.S.P. Martin Yama, Retiring Head of Traffic, Bz. City
“This is coming from deep within my heart is that although I am leaving the department, I will no longer be a member of the department, but the department is within me. The police department on a whole is within my heart.”
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Today Assistant Superintendent Martin Yama, after serving thirty-five years with the Belize Police Department, bid farewell. Although he would have liked to continue to work, Yama’s ailing health has forced him into early retirement.
Last year he was diagnosed with a condition that has affected his cervical vertebrae. He was medically advised that he can no longer continue to work the way he has since he was first employed with the force in 1968. Doctors have told him that there’s only a fifty percent chance that surgery would be able to correct the problem.
A.S.P. Martin Yama
“Some officers leave with sourness against the department and they have certain things against individuals, but it is not like that with me. As I say it is only because of my health that I am leaving, otherwise although I would not have had much to go, but at least I would have had one more year to go prior to my official retirement.”
Today we caught up with the veteran officer as he was busy clearing his desk. Yama, who has been head of the Traffic Branch for almost ten years, says he knew the day would come when he would have to leave office, but it was still difficult saying goodbye.
A.S.P. Martin Yama
“Really I had to put myself not to shed tears because it is like we were working as a family together and now its like, okay I am now leaving for somewhere else, I am leaving my family to go somewhere else, where I will not be amongst them again.”
Yama has had a distinguished service in the department that includes working with the Patrol Branch, Intelligence Unit and Traffic Branch. Last year, he was also appointed as coordinator of National Traffic Enforcement.
A.S.P Martin Yama
“I have seen certain things that I believe were success to me. Especially in the traffic section where I have seen that although it has not improved in terms of the decreasing of traffic accidents per se, but I think that with the continuing of the traffic enforcement along with the education aspect of it, then I believe that things will improve particularly in reducing accidents.”
Traffic congestion is another area of concern that Yama says he would like to see corrected.
A.S.P. Martin Yama
“First of all I believe that we must have some assigned areas when we come to parking areas. Because as it is, especially when you come to downtown shopping, really you cannot park anywhere. But I believe that, not necessarily government, but perhaps maybe some other business or organisation can identify some area within the nearest shopping area, then I believe that they could have something of a parking lot where they could have parking metres and things of that nature.”
Just as News 5 captured his departure, Yama’s family also made sure they preserved this memorable moment by filming his last day at the office. Yama says although he has not had enough time to implement what he had planned for National Traffic Enforcement, he is grateful to have been given the opportunity.
A.S.P. Martin Yama
“However someone else will do it because as I say, I have the department in heart and I will still be lending a hand if and whenever that arise.”
With the departure of Assistant Superintendent Yama, Commissioner Carmen Zetina is the only member of 1968 squad number twelve still active in the Police Department. It is not sure who will succeed Yama, but for the moment his deputy, Inspector Leslie Logan, will be holding over as officer commanding the traffic branch.
