Crime down, but murder up; Cops need public help
Elodio Aragon Jr.
Believe it or not, police statistics say that crime is going down, but murders are on the rise. The police currently have on record one hundred and thirty-three murders for 2012 so far. At the end of December in 2011, the total was one hundred and twenty-four; that nine less than this year with a few weeks to go before the end of 2012. The Officer Commanding Eastern Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Elodio Aragon junior says that the department is stepping up Christmas patrols, more officers are working overtime and cops from the Capital are being deployed to Belize City to work on the weekends.
Asst. ComPol Elodio Aragon Jr., O.C. Eastern Division
“We’ve seen a marked reduction in crime. The Belize Police Department, when you look at all the efforts we are doing when it comes to our extra patrols that we are putting on; looking at the quick response of our police units in the various zones; looking at the support that we are getting from Belmopan in regards to a number of police officers that come to Belize City to assist in the extra patrols and likewise in our motorcycle teams out there; our tourism police officers. And in general, all the available police officers have been working on the streets of Belize. I want to assure the general public that this Christmas we are working very diligently and vigilantly to ensure that they have a safe and secure Christmas. I am confident that that will be the case. I know that statistics is always something that people and the media tend to look at. And I am quite sure that there are a lot that we can discuss on statistics, but I guess that will be done at the conclusion of this year when it comes to looking at the statistics that we have. At this point in time, I can tell you that we have a hundred and thirty-three murders countrywide compared to last year which we had at the end of December, a hundred and twenty-four. In Belize City, in specific, we have presently seventy-two murders that we have recorded and last year at the end of December we had seventy-one. And I think that maybe early next year, we can look at all these statistics and see where we are and where we need to go. But I would like to speak out to the general public; ask them for their support likewise because the police cannot do it alone. We need the support of the public. And I am asking the public to support us for the end of this year—especially for the Christmas and the New Year’s time—for them to assist us in a number of things. And I always talk about this as a community responsibility. We as the police department are responsible for crime, but so is the public responsible to assist us in reducing crime. A number of ways the public can assist us is one and foremost and very important to us is for the general public to report crime. It is for the general public to pick up the phone and call 9-1-1 in regards to suspicious characters or any suspicious activity they see out there while they are going about their daily business. I’m asking the general public to give us a call. We have our 9-1-1 operators standing by to receive those calls and to immediately dispatch police officers to look into that situation.”
Aragon also asks motorists not to leave their belongings in plain view in vehicles. And since motorcycles are regularly being stolen, owners should put a chain and lock on them. For those who may have more fun this Christmas holiday, the Police Department will enforce public drinking laws.
I’ve mentioned it before, and I still think every city, town, and village can help itself by organizing citizen patrols to supplement police. guardianangels.org is a great, free resource on how to do that successfully — they’ve been doing it for something like 40 years, in several countries.
Check it out.
The most corrupt and incompetent gov in the history of his nation people are dying like flies and the share depth of the corruption and impotence of this pm and gov. Is totally appalling resign judas resign you tired get your thirty pieces of silver.
Why is the mayor Bradley or anyone with him not in jail for bringing in illegal beer in the country anyone else would be in jail see even the mayor and his father the think they can do whatever they please because they are in gov. Why is their no one in jail damm this gov. Is so corrupt they are stealing outright and nothing is done no wonder this country is in the mess it’s in even the mayor the commit contraband and nothing is done someone needs to be put in jail what a corrupt gov. Damm
crime can never be down, people have just stop reporting buglaries and robberies and rape not to mention common assault because they are never solved. my experience to report acrime in Belize City, you need to go to the police station in racoon st, the officer in charge first is not there, then is most likely rude, and finally they will always look for the most easy way out, they beleive all robberies are inside job and your son stole your jewelry, case solved. Belize city is deserted at night, albert street is a ghost town after six pm. there is hardly any nightlife, discoes, movies, sports because of fear of crime. how can this man in charge of police say CRIME IS DOWN,
Here we go again Rod the Racist, this time I promise you I will not use any big words and don’t worry I will master primate talk pretty soon as I am using the Rosetta Stone Primate edition to learn to communicate with you in your native tongue. I am taking it that you actually read the story (hurrah Rod knows how to read… a little bit at least) on the other news outlet and if you did you totally skipped over the whole part (by choice of course) about the PUP Orange Walk South Area Rep. being caught with 15 cases of contraband beer as well. The kicker to this however is that he was caught pass the boarder in Belize and the only consequence he will face is and I quote “Customs took the items into custody but have not charged him because he is an elected representative. They have asked him to come in and speak to them about the confiscated items” we all know this loosely translates to a little talk about not doing it again. This basically means that the laws of this country only apply to ordinary citizens and by ordinary I would go on ahead and exclude the rich and politically connected. This is (for lack of a better word) an abomination and an extreme case of double standards. I hope this makes you realize Rod the Racist that the door swings wide for the blue and red masters of this country. I can tell you for a fact that I have been to many parties held at homes of people in the Customs Department and they tell you outright that the Mexican beer that is being consumed was confiscated at the borders and check points but every Belizean (with maybe the exception of Rod the Racist) already knows this. The bottom line is that I am convinced there is a gentleman’s agreement on BOTH sides that dictates that any elected official caught up in a scandal will be afforded a degree of immunity to the infraction that is not afforded to the “ordinary citizen of Belize”. So the only person or thing that should be locked up is you Rod the Racist and that should be done both for your own safety (because as I have mentioned before the stupid die first) and to prevent you from making a mockery of common sense and judging from your literary faux pas it seems that sense has never been common or popular for that matter with you.
“Crime is going down, but murder is on the rise.” Is Murder not a crime????
You can’t even protect a witness to a crime from being killed prior to the matter going to court as a result why should the general public risk their lives.by reporting crimes .Would you?
so nigel the moron is on again you must be related to judas because even the biggest moron in belize cant beat you my friend now you are trying to justify the crime that was commited no wonder belize is in the state its in because of total ignoramus like you that try to justify the criminal behavior of the people in this gov . this is why people are dying all over the place because instead of you condeming the criminal activities of this pm and ministers you try to justify their stealing as it was nothing you make me sick along with this pm nigel they should have called you ignoramus people like you make me sick enough to vommit go tell judas to give you your cut of the silver coins .pendejo burro idiota canalla
Rod, Rod, Rod, I was so wrong in my first statement I gave too much credence to your intelligence by assuming you could have read and interpreted just a little bit of what I was inferring but once again your stupidity proved me wrong, my summation of your intelligence seems to be spot on and I was indeed correct as before you are the village idiot’s assistant. You should get your boss the village idiot to read this for you and try to explain even if it takes you all the way into next year; but you will get it eventually I think… I was simply trying to illustrate the duality of corruption on both sides but being the Mennonite horse (no insult to the horse’s intelligence as they are probably smarter than you) with blinders on that you are you cannot see past your own single minded stupidity. Rod I have stated in the past and I still maintain that I AM NOT POLITICALLY AFFILIATED (unlike you) and I do not even vote. I believe your democracy is a fraud for we have no rights, the only time we have rights or a say in the affairs of this country is on or just before Election Day and after that it becomes just a whisper in the wind. If you can use your computer for more than just hate you can do a little research into the deeds of your masters and you will see a shocking similarity from blue to red rule. So my friend who is the ignoramus the individual that thinks for himself or the stiff necked fool of a primate that incoherently rants on and on about one subject matter? I my friend have come to terms with the reality we live in, we cannot change the ruling party until election time (unless we march like you said but try that sometime my friend and you will see that it will be a lonely walk for you) so with this realization do we then stand together and chastise them when they are wrong or make ourselves divided by being more racist than the people that we accuse of being racist? Rod I am here to try to help you, but you my friend are a lost cause, you are a mistake (probably on a drunken, drugged up night of passion) that should have never happened; for someone as daft (this word means dumb) as you never makes it in life. Oh and Rod using vulgarity is usually the last tactic of the dim witted individual that has conceded defeat and thus has nothing else left in that empty head of theirs to defend themselves. You come off as a wounded animal Rod and I can smell your weakness oozing out of your melancholic fingers as you type your hate filled vulgarities. Oh and Rod when you do get sick enough to regurgitate please do us all a favor and choke on your own ignorance for the love of human kind, choke before you replicate; the world do not need hateful clones of Rod. If you have already reproduced God help our poor nation for we have more to fear than the politicians!!!
I’ll settle this — PUP, UDP — a pox on both their houses!
Sadly the Jewel has been descending into a lawless state under both parties, and it seems to be accelerating.
“People Power” as seen in the Arab Spring and elsewhere is the best solution.
Rod, relax my bwoy!
133 murders so far and the commissioner still getting paid? Whay not resign so a more compitent person can fill the post? You and the so call P.M. should go.