New vehicles for Police Department

The days are slowly disappearing when you would call the police in an emergency and hear, “We have to wait for a vehicle.” This is because the department has added eight spanking new Chevy S-10 supercab pickups to its fleet. National Security Minister, Jorge Espat handed over the trucks during a ceremony at the Queen Street Police Station this morning.

Jorge Espat, Minister of National Security

“It’s always a good feeling to provide the resources to equip our Belize Police Department to provide safer communities for Belizeans and we can take pride in a government that is committed to allocating the necessary resources. As we’ve said, we are allocating resources for their requirements.”

Ann-Marie Williams

“How much are these vehicles costing and who brought them down?”

Jorge Espat

“Appliance World had submitted a quote to us. The cost was thirty-nine thousand each and it is a package of ten vehicles. We have allocated eight to the Belize Police Department and we have assigned two to the Belize Defence Force.”

Ann-Marie Williams

“A number of people have said already that these vehicles will be crashed by next week. Is there a special clause that came with your presentation?”

Jorge Espat

“Yes, I continued to encourage the Commissioner of Police to husband the resources that Belizeans pay for. It is disturbing when I receive reports of reckless abuse of our public assets. In fact, we have indicate to the Commissioner of Police that any police officer who abuses his office and takes a vehicle without permission and crashes that vehicle, that officer should be criminally charged and I think that is the seriousness with which our commitment comes.”

Six of the vehicles will remain at Eastern Division in the city, one goes to San Pedro and the other is for the forensic lab. Total cost of the fleet is three hundred and twelve thousand dollars.