Commissioner says police have upper hand
While there is room for debate over whether the amount of crime in Belize is rising or falling, there is little disagreement that the nature of crime has become increasingly spectacular, brazen and outrageous. It is against this background that the police high command must not only solve and prevent criminal acts, they must also give the public the impression that the bad guys are on the run. Today we checked with Commissioner Carmen Zetina for an update on how he plans to approach the traditional holiday crime season.
Carmen Zetina, Commissioner of Police
“We have designated special patrolling areas in the city, especially in the southside where we have more patrols, foot patrols and mobile patrols in those areas. That doesn’t mean that we have abandoned the other areas of Belize City, I think we have sufficient police officers and B.D.F. support to do this.”
Stewart Krohn
“Switching geography from Belize City to the far west, very serious crime there last weekend involving mass armed robbery and rape. We’ve co-operated with the Guatemalan authorities, how is that investigation proceeding?”
Carmen Zetina
“We haven’t detected or arrested anybody as such, but certainly we know more or less who are involved and we are certain that those people involved in these sort of criminal activities are from across the border. Now we have gotten the Chief of Police from Melchor. He is the newly appointed Chief of Police there and I think we have a very good rapport with that department and the police and he’s very enthusiastic to work along with us here in Belize.”
Stewart Krohn
“Do you think that the force has adequate manpower to deal with all the kinds of things you would like to deal with?”
Carmen Zetina
“Well nobody has sufficient in any way Mr. Krohn, I don’t think so, that everybody has what they want. But I have at my disposal and what I can call upon from the B.D.F., certainly we can do a very good job on it.”
Zetina added that he has been promised additional vehicles and equipment to make the force more mobile.
