Maxboro residents overrun by thefts and burglaries

Maxboro is a small but growing community located off the Northern Highway near mile sixteen. But the two hundred residents or so are all but at peace. For the past two years thieves have made the community their playground and now residents are making their appeal public. Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting
These four-footed friends have not kept away criminals hell-bent on invading houses in the Maxboro community. The dogs have instead been attacked by thieves wanting to gain entry into the homes of their masters. And the number of incidences has been staggering.

Kisnet Picart, Resident, Maxboro
“Most people work and so if the dogs bark and stuff like that it doesn’t deter them. They just work around it. They just go to the back of the house or to the other side where the dogs aren’t located. So that’s what they do, they deal with that.”

Carlos Matura, Resident, Maxboro
“Eena last year dah twenty-five house deh gone eena. Di residents dehn report bout it and nothing come out ah it. Even my house dehn bruk eena and when we mek report bout it di thing just gone like dat. So I woulda want mek di government know or di public know dat we need wah police booth back yah and heavy security back ah dis place yah.”

Marion Ali
“You guys don’t already have a booth?”

Carlos Matura
“But di booth dah noh like wah booth.”

The residents say their Area Representative along with police officers have attended meetings with them to address the problem.

Kisnet Picart
“Castro; Mr. Castro, we’ve met with him about twice and we’ve spoken to him. He promised us a police substation in the area so a policeman could be based in this area, but the sub-station is back there but no one mans the substation. What was promised to us was a police patrol would be coming around every so often; probably once or twice a day on motorcycle to monitor the area. I’m not certain if that is happening because I haven’t seen them.”

Marion Ali
“The residents of Maxboro say that the home break ins in their community have gotten so uncontrollable that they have sought to take matters into their own hands.”

Judith Cruz, Resident, Maxboro
“We had formed a neighborhood watch committee and we are working hard to try and get this off the ground. We had obtained a police booth so far but we have to do some minor repairs on it.”

Marion Ali
“But even so they continue to rely on the assistance of authorities and the help that they are seeking has been slow in coming.”

Judith Cruz
“The police had promised us that the Sand Hill Police would be going around patrolling the area but they do it sometimes but not on a regular basis and the break ins still continue to happen. Being schools, we open back on Monday, normally that is when the break ins start again; when school is on.”

Commanding Officer in the area, Inspector Calbert Flowers, says he is trying to work with what he has.

Insp. Calbert Flowers, O.C., Ladyville Police
“The area is very wide and we try our best to do what we can.”

Marion Ali
“They say not; they don’t see policemen for weeks.”

Insp. Calbert Flowers
“What area are you talking about?”

Marion Ali
“Maxboro, that’s the area we’re talking about.”

Insp. Calbert Flowers
“We have a police posted in Sand Hill. Maxboro falls under Sand Hill. At this time we have our police officer in Sand Hill who do patrols in that area. Our officers here in Ladyville also patrol those areas when they can.”

Marion Ali
“The Maxboro community has acquired their own police booth though. They were asking for additional manpower so they can have their own policeman stationed there.”

Insp. Calbert Flowers
“That is in the making. Officer Commanding the Eastern Division, Mr. Henderson, is working on getting an additional officer for the Sand Hill area.”

Marion Ali
“And that person would be stationed there twenty-four seven?”

Insp. Calbert Flowers
“Yes, there will be somebody there.”

But Maxboro has not only been the venue for home break-ins. In fact, this vehicle was believed to have been stolen several weeks ago in Belize City. The thieves drove it to a dirt road in the area where they abandoned it after scrapping and torching its frame. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.

Only weeks ago Kisnet Picart thwarted a burglary attempt at a neighbor’s house. The residents believe the culprits are youths from their same community.