Feeding Program for Primary School students burglarized

The Yabra Police Community Center has been a fixture for programs designed by grass roots as well as established N.G.O.’s.  Across from the center is a police booth and on the second floor of the community center building is a police substation. Nonetheless the facility was burglarized. The center feeds dozens of children at lunchtime from neighborhood schools, and according to the police press officer coldhearted thieves tried to destroy the heart of the feeding program on Wednesday night.

Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer

“Someone broke into the lower flat of the building. They stole an assortment of items that we use for that feeding program and that person released the butane gas as an attempt, we believe, to set the building on fire. We are asking the assistance of the public if you know anything that can help us to bring these people to justice. This is an effort that we and Restore Belize—the Police and Restore Belize—we embarked on this, we try our best to provided a warm meal and in some cases breakfast for these children in that area that their parents cannot afford it.”

Jose Sanchez

“What was stolen?”

Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood

Fitzroy Yearwood

“An assortment of our pots, different equipments, the food actually used to be prepared for the lunch program—they stole a whole lot of stuff that we had there.”

Reporter

“Don’t you guys have officers in that area?”

Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood

“Well, the building itself, it houses the Community Policing Unit which is a unit that operates during normal working hours. After working hours, we usually have patrol in that area. We are trying our best to reactivate the booth that is across the street, but because of this shortage of manpower due to the recent spate of violence in Belize City, we sometimes cannot meet our obligation in having police posted at that booth. But now we have revisited that since this morning and we will have something in place in the event these criminals believe that they can intimidate us and return to finish what they begin. Well, we have news for them.”

Police continue to investigate the burglary at one of its prized programs.