ComPol Leads Meet and Greet In Libertad Village
Last Monday we visited Libertad Village in the Corozal District where thirty-seven-year-old Kurtis Usher was gunned down in front of his home and his three-year-old son was grazed to the head. Today, we headed back to the community with Commissioner of Police Chester Williams and a team of senior officers for a community meet and greet. There were at least two shooting incidents since Usher’s murder, leaving community members shaken up. Police toured the village to hear concerns and gather recommendations from villagers. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
There has been a spate of shooting incidents in Libertad Village over the last couple of weeks that have left residents in the community feeling unsafe. Nine days ago, thirty-seven year-old Kurtis Usher was shot to death by an unknown assailant in front of his home. Mattias Guitterez, a resident of the community, told us how the shootings have impacted villagers.
Mattias Gutierrez
Mattias Gutierrez, Libertad Village Resident
“Right now the people can’t sleep good because of this weh the happen. Really, myself because innocent people could get killed and you don’t know its who. A lot of strange people come in the village and I always work with the police and say better you check with those people because he look funny and not from the village. Deal with him. If he is not from here let him walk out.”
Today, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams and a team of senior officers toured the village to meet residents and hear their concerns in hopes of allaying the fear and concerns of residents.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“They all alluded to the fact that the village is known in the past to be this peaceful and loving village and sudden one this shooting occurred and that they found surprising according to them. Beside that they are happy that police responded adequately to their safety concerns and they are now much satisfied with the presence of the police in the village.”
One of the main issues raised by residents is the need for a police station in the village. The last police station was destroyed by fire in 2004, almost two decades ago. Since then little to nothing has been done to construct a new police station in Libertad Village.
Mattias Guitterez
“I feel very good for the officers to start working in the village, but from the moment the police station burnt we should have think forward for a police station. We never think about it. So, I told him we had this building beside us, why deh never work on the building and put a police station. Why we have to wait so long for make this crime happen? If they had officers in this village this would never happen.”
Chester Williams
“One of the issue that they are speaking about is that there is a need for a police station to be constructed urgently to bring back the permanent police presence in the village and that is something I will take back to my minister and he can take that to Cabinet and see what can be done. I know for a fact that the Libertad police station is a part of the CABEI Project and so we are hoping that can come to fruition very shortly and then we can have the permanent presence of the police here.”
According to ComPol Williams, specialized patrol units have recently been deployed in the community to conduct routine patrols. He says these patrols have greatly assisted to deter criminal elements. But, what has fueled this latest spate of gun violence is this relatively peaceful and quiet village?
Chester Williams
“Well from what our investigation reveals, drugs is the motive behind it. Yes there are a few people in the village know as drug peddlers and there is always the issue of control and so that is the issue we have found that has fueled these shooting.”
As a longstanding resident, and a member of the Libertad Village Council for more than three decades, Gutierrez says the village became less peaceful following government’s decision to decriminalize the possession of ten grams of marijuana in 2017.
Mattias Guitterez
“I believe that is not suppose to happen. If we mih have that down that never mih wah happen. This marijuana thing causes a lot of problems because money involved. Ih nuh mek sense if this Marijuana come in the country to say you have license. That is not suppose to happen. On the youth deh nuh worry because they say you have what five ounce or me nuh know how much you suppose to walk with. Nuh man, that nuh suppose to happen.”
Notwithstanding the firsthand information that ComPol Williams and his officers were able to gather on the ground today, he says the meet and greet approach is not the be all end all solution to the department’s crime fighting strategy in Libertad Village.
Chester Williams
“The meet and greet is to come and speak to the people, get how they feel about the crime situation, for them to hear what we are doing and we share ideas, we get recommendations from them, things we can do to make it better for them. That is the purpose of the meet and greet. And, I believe we achieved that today. We heard a lot from the people in terms of how they felt before and during these incidents, how they felt after the police came in. They make recommendations in terms of they want a police station and permanent police. They made recommendations in terms of getting programs for children. SO, we achieved our purpose here today.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
