Govt. of India donates Bajaj vehicles to Police Department
In a bit of good news for the Belize Police Department, the force has received a donation from the government of India which they hope will improve response time to calls from the public, particularly in rural areas. The three-wheel Bajaj vehicles are currently being assembled at Price Barracks in Ladyville by members of the Belize Defence Force, so this evening the new equipment was symbolically handed over at the Queen Street station by India’s High Commissioner to Belize, Rajiv Kumar Bhatia. News Five spoke with Commissioner of Police Gerald Westby who says India continues to support the work of the department.
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
?The Government of India through their ambassador to Belize, the Indian ambassador to Belize has been good enough to donate sixteen Bajaj to us at the Police Department. This will come in really useful in terms of the village, the main villages, the rural stations. We will be distributing them across the country at the major villages from east, north, south, and west.?
?They are all-terrain, they are three wheels, they are very economical with fuel. And that will be very useful in the rural areas, they can get around, but it is still not too costly, especially at this time when the cost of fuel is so high.?
?We want to express our appreciation to the Indian ambassador and the Indian government for providing us with two courses, one in advanced finger printing. We have an officer right now studying in India since January and we also have another officer studying information technology, advanced management course. So they have been helping us and we really do appreciate the help.?
Each Bajaj is valued at seven thousand U.S. dollars. Two of the three-wheelers will be allocated to the B.D.F. for their use, while the others will be dispatched to villages such as Xaibe, Sarteneja, and Crooked Tree. The two officers studying in India are Corporal Osmond Mortis and Sergeant Mario Alcoser.
