Police to Revert to 8-Hour Shifts

Since his ascension as Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams has been connecting with the rest of the department. Today, he made a stop at the Queen Street Police Station where he met with officers who commute to the city routinely. One of the gripes of the officers was that the new ComPol was reverting to institute an eight-hour work shift. For the past seven years, the officers have been working on twelve-hour shifts, which some say they prefer because it allows them to more easily access public transportation to their homes in the districts. Williams, however, holds a different view saying that the twelve-hour shift is counterproductive. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Newly installed Commissioner of Police Chester Williams began a tour of Eastern Division, as it relates to the entire Belize District. His first stop today was at the Queen Street Police Station on north side Belize City where he met with several officers to discuss many issues including their welfare. One of the first moves of ComPol Williams is to revert to the eight-hour shift system. According to Deputy ComPol Edward Broaster, from since 2012, officers endured twelve-hour shifts, four days a week with four days to rest.

Edward Broaster, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations)

“He just addressed them and informed them of his reason for reverting back to the eight-hour shift system.”

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“While yes, there may be many officers who support the twelve-hour shift system, we have to look at whether the public is getting value for money.”

There have been numerous complaints of officers sleeping on the job in high risk areas when they are supposed to be standing watch at checkpoints installed within hotspots across the Old Capital. There are mounting concerns because the officers should be keeping the citizenry safe from burglars and robbers; it even puts them at risk.

Edward Broaster

Edward Broaster

“One of the major concerns as well was the fact that there were officers found sleeping in different quarters of the city, which puts them and the community at risk and we cannot stand by and have officers putting themselves in danger and at the same time putting the lives of the community, who are asleep in danger because burglaries and robberies are another problem that we need to get a grip on.”

Chester Williams

“We have to look after the safety of our officers in the sense that we don’t want our officers to be working extremely long hours and after the eight-hour, they go into a corner and fall asleep. One the public is not getting value for money because the officers are not patrolling anymore, but rather they are sleeping. Two, it creates a health problem for them; three, it puts them at risk in the sense that it is only a matter of time before someone knows what they are doing and goes and ambush them and then do what needs to be done.”

The Belize Police Association represents over two thousand officers between the ranks of constable and sergeant who by virtue of the police act identifies them as members. From the two cohorts that met with the brass of the department today, seventy-five percent have been in agreement with the move to revert the shifts back to eight hours, as proposed by ComPol Williams. This afternoon, Association President, Corporal Eldon Arzu explains the concerns that were ventilated and the commitments made by the police command.

Eldon Arzu

Cpl. Eldon Arzu, President, Belize Police Association

“One of the contentions was the time that they would come off which is around eleven p.m., buses are not travelling from Belize City to Corozal and so they were concerned about travelling back home whilst off duty. The commissioner himself has promised these officers that arrangements will be made for a bus to transport them whilst coming off duty at that time and those coming on duty will also have access to the bus from Corozal to Belize. Out west, he states that there will be a van which will be transporting our officers from Belize to the west. So that was generally the point of contention with these officers; the fact that they will be unable to travel home when coming off duty and perhaps to come to work around that time at eleven p.m.”

The return to eight-hour shifts is expected within a week or so. Duane Moody for News Five.