UB Holds Safety and Security Forum
UB President Clement Sankat, today issued a statement on the murder of business students, Kevin Frutos. The twenty-six-year-old from Bullet Tree was found along the George Price Boulevard in Belmopan with his throat slit. His family believes that he was robbed before being murdered callously. President Sankat described Frutos as a beloved member of the university who also worked full-time; earnestly trying to improve and advance his life and career. Frutos is the third male UB student who has been murdered since the start of the year and while the murders are not linked, it has caused great concern. Today the university held a safety and security forum because as President Sankat explains, criminal are creeping into the open campus, targeting students.
Clement Sankat
Professor Clement Sankat, President, University of Belize
“You would have heard that students have been robbed around campus. You hear a couple months ago our security guards in Belize City were robbed and they broke into the security office. The motivation was clear in my mind. Two nights ago, two students well a student and her boyfriend were robbed on the campus at eight-thirty at night. So the criminal elements are creeping into Belmopan. So we have been trying to light the campus us much more than it has ever been lit up. In fact at night it looks pretty decent. When I came here two years ago it used to be dark. I couldn’t understand how people could live and work because we have a residence here, work and study in such dark environment. We put up more lights. We put up solar lights because of electricity cost, but clearly we have to put more.”
Hipolito Novelo
“How can you address what can be perceived as the lack of interest on behalf of the students because seeing in there in the forum, one would have imagined that it would be filled because crime affects campus life?”
Professor Clement Sankat
“My friend there is too much on the table with all of this. Some people don’t take this on serious until it affects them. You have to be robbed, attacked then you will take it on seriously. We have to continue to educate. That is all we have to continue to do. We have twenty four security here, twenty four hour security but you know it is an open campus.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Which represents a problem.”
Professor Clement Sankat
“Which presents a problem but give the students an opportunity because to access the campus it is easy for them. If you put a wall around the campus you have to walk even longer distances.”
Hipolito Novelo
“And you’ll face resistance from the students.”
Professor Clement Sankat
“That’s the issue.”
The university is getting a ‘busito’ to transport students around Belmopan. President Sankat says that Commissioner Chester Williams has suggested to have police officers patrol the campus.
