On June 2nd of last year, the Prime Minister at a packed press conference held at the Biltmore Hotel in Belize City, presented his administration's answer to rampant crime by outlining a programme dubbed Restore Belize. Today as part of the Restore Campaign Belize, the Ministry of Police and Public Safety issued a release saying that effective yesterday, Wednesday, February 16th, it has officially launched a Quality of Life campaign. The campaign will address those breaches of the law that are generally considered to be of a minor and non-violent nature. Here's how the Prime Minister described them at last year's launching of Restore Belize.
Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Another initiative, another objective is to target aggressively the so called 'Quality of Life Crimes' now this refers to the relatively minor, non-violent illegal type of behavior that can collectively undermine people's sense of well-being and public safety and that contributes to the whole aura of slippage as a society and that to some extent are almost directly related to the larger crimes having to do with gang violence and turf conflict and all that. Let me give you examples of what I mean when I say 'Quality of Life Crimes': traffic offences, public drinking, petty theft, vandalism, littering, noise pollution from bars and night clubs, loitering that sort of thing."
The release from the Ministry of Police and Public Safety says the initial focus will be on motorists and bicyclists who flout traffic laws. A little later on, the Police will be turning their attention to Loitering, Littering, Public Drinking, Noise Pollution and Gambling. The Police will be cracking down especially on cyclists who are caught riding 'up stop' or, more properly put, against the flow of traffic. Warnings will be issued for the first two weeks, but thereafter, fines will be levied against all offenders. The campaign will be ongoing, and the Police is asking for the public's support.
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