Curfew to be enforced Friday night
Despite the fact that it was a move which affects thousands of children and their parents, the statutory instrument mandating an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew was signed two weeks ago on April ninth with no warning and no public education campaign. Most people believed the curfew took effect that same day, or would in the next few days. Earlier this week News Five tried to get an update on the curfew: how many children had been stopped, had any parents been charged, and so on but we were told by police that actually the curfew won’t be enforced until this Friday night. So after two weeks grace period, last night the police and other agencies involved in the enforcement of the curfew had a trial run.
If children and their parents have been worried that those violating the curfew would be picked up and rousted by police, they can relax. Patrols will be conducted by the special Child Protection Team made up of representatives from police, the Ministry of Human Development and the J.P. Association. To familiarize themselves with the six zones to be patrolled in Belize City, the team met at their designated center, the B.D.F. Maritime Wing at the Fort on Wednesday night.
Team being briefed
“It is nothing to be afraid of. You will have police with you at all times. He will have a radio with him if you meet a confrontation situation where parents will get aggressive because as you know Belizean women we tend to be very aggressive at times. If the three of you cannot deal with the situation the policeman having the radio will call control room to get the mobile in that particular zone to respond.”
The members will be broken up into six teams which will be made up of three persons each. The exercise will be conducted in two shifts from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Ornel Brooks, the Commissioner of Police, who conducted the briefing, spoke about the operation.
Ornel Brooks, Commissioner of Police
“The first pick up will be a delivery to parents and guardian. I think this is quite humane; this is working towards the caring by us and restoring care by parent or guardian.
If that child is met on the following night on the streets not necessarily at the same location that child will be brought to the center and the parents are encouraged or directed to come to the center where he or she will be spoken to and given a written warning that you have violated the curfew process twice. If a third reoccurrence should occur then there is the possibility of prosecution.”
The exercise is being considered a historical one in the fact that it is the first time Justices of the Peace will be actively involved in a community law enforcement effort. Tom Greenwood is the President of the J.P. Association.
Tom Greenwood, President, J.P. Association
“It is the first time and it comes of course as a result of the organization of the J.P.s and commission of the Supreme Court in a national association and our willingness to play our rightful role in our society. There are over two thousand of us; we must begin to make an impact.”
Following the briefing, the team conducted a trial run of the exercise. Unfortunately our news team, which had been invited to accompany the group, was told by Commissioner Brooks that because the run will be a tactical one we will not be able to go along. We were, however, invited to accompany them on Friday night, for the real thing.
If the curfew and the establishment of special patrol unit seems like a big undertaking, it is. But the government says it is necessary not only to combat juvenile crime, but to prevent children from becoming the victims of street violence or sexual abuse. The curfew was among the suggestions made at the Children’s Summit held in March. Brenda Stuart is the Coordinator for the Ministry of Human Development.
Brenda Stuart, Coordinator, Ministry of Human Development
“The children made it very clear. One of the points they made very clear is to initiate some kind of curfew. It also comes after a number of tragedies that involved children and so in response to those children the two ministries saw the need.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Most of the young people we spoke with told us that while they do not think the curfew is a bad idea, they do believe the exercise has not been properly planned.”
David Grant, 16 years old
“It’s fact that we were not really consulted when they were making the details. We were not asked as youths whether we agreed with it or not or other alternatives. I mean we have been going around to the schools and asking people their opinions and really they are not happy that they were not asked prior.”
Kevin Forrester, 15 years old
“It was too fast. The Children’s Summit was held more or else, I do not know how many days after. I don’t even know but it was a fast response. They never got to communicate much; it was just too fast.”
The students feel that the start time of 8 p.m. is unreasonable. Many do not agree with it going up to age 16, while others feel that the government should have come up with better alternatives.
Khadine Escalera, 17 years old
“I think that they should at least extend the time to nine during the week and on weekends until 10. The age group – they should have put it from 14 and under. I also think that they should have instead of putting this curfew, they should have come up with more recreational sports for teenagers.”
Leon Sampson, 14 years old
“I think the curfew is a good idea but it should be a little bit extended because of all the activities teenagers and high school students are going to.”
Q: “So you do not agree with the present time frame?”
Leon Sampson
“No, I do not agree.”
Jose Teixeira, 13 years old
“Many times for example in a normal household a mother would be cooking something and she would need a little ingredient like flour or sugar, which they don’t have. She would normally send her child to a shop. We cannot do that anymore because of the time.”
Rhondine Arthurs, 16 years old
“We have activities that we need to do like projects and we do not know how long they will take.”
Stacy Dawson, 15 years old
“To me it affects us a whole lot. In a way it is good because it keeps us off the street and everything but in a way we also have to. We have late night shifts that we have to attend to like going to the library or even doing group work; but it affects us a whole lot.”
Jacqueline Woods
“The curfew is not based on picking up children or punishing parents but will be imposed to protect children and to make parents be more aware of their responsibility.”
Child Protection Teams will be traveling in unmarked vehicles, but will have a uniformed officer with each patrol. J.P.s and Ministry personnel will have identification cards with them and Brenda Stuart says any child stopped has the right to ask to see identification. She told News Five that Wednesday night’s practice run went well and the team was surprised and pleased by the number of parents who were escorting their children through town. Those teenagers they encountered were also traveling in groups rather than alone. For those parents who were thinking they could drop their teenagers at a basketball game and then pick them up after, Stuart says no; parents or guardians must accompany the child at the game, since they could leave without permission and violate the curfew. Penalties for parents whose children are repeatedly picked up and refuse to cooperate with authorities could face a fine of up to 2,000 dollars or one year in prison. The United Democratic Party, which denounces the curfew, has offered free legal representation to the first parent who is charged.
