Belize Bank gives a needed bus to the police

In the spirit of Christmas, the Belize Bank has been spreading good cheer. This morning, the Police Department received a brand new vehicle to shuttle officers to their different destinations. The twenty thousand dollars bus will immediately hit the road. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The Belize Police Department’s Eastern Division, this morning, received a much needed donation from the Belize Bank Ltd. in the form of a sixty-seater commuter bus.  The vehicle, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Elodio Aragon Jr., couldn’t have come at a better time since the one that was previously in use broke down recently.

Elodio Aragon Jr.

ACP Elodio Aragon Jr., Officer Commanding Eastern Division

“This bus will come in very handy for the Belize Police Department.  Like I was saying, you know when you look at our transportation of officers, presently we have a small bus that transports prisoners and this bus will be used for the transportation of our police officers, men and women, you know.  I could tell you that this bus couldn’t have come at a better time for Eastern Division because presently the bus we had to transport our police officers is no longer working, you know.”

As a good corporate citizen, the Belize Bank agreed to provide the bus to the department in an effort to aid in the reduction of crime.

Misty Michael

Misty Michael, Marketing Manager, Belize Bank Ltd.

“Given the current crime situation in Belize the bank is aware that the Belize Police Department is doing all that it can to combat crime and violence in Belize and we were approached by them a few weeks back to assist them with obtaining this bus that we donated today, which is going to be used to transport officers within Belize City and in the districts.  And we were fortunate enough to be able make the donation to them and it’s a symbol of the bank’s commitment to the communities that we serve in order to make sure that Belize is a safer place for everybody.”

The bus, valued at twenty thousand dollars, will be used for a wide range of travel.

ACP Elodio Aragon Jr.

“We are always involved in the movement of police officers, you know, whether it be for operations or whether it be for things like the funeral yesterday of Mr. Escalante, the police officer, this bus will come very handy for us so that we could assist in seeing that our police officers are moved in a comfortable bus, you know, a good working bus.  So we are very grateful to the Belize Bank to assist the Eastern Division and the police department in donating this bus to us.”

Isani Cayetano

“Can the public, or the department for that matter, expect any other future collaborations in terms of either providing resources or assistance for the department to carry out the job of keeping crime down?”

Misty Michael

“Yes, I think most definitely we’re always looking for ways to assist the communities that we serve and the police, of course, play a crucial role in the Belizean society.  So we’ll definitely be looking to see what else we can do with the department to boost their capacity.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.

The Belize Bank also donated a swing to the Stella Maris School today, which is custom made to facilitate children in wheelchairs.