Village council elections are in full swing and that has a lot to do with why you're seeing a hubbub of political activity in various villages. Today it was Crooked Tree – where they've been without a police station for years. But village council elections are on Sunday, so what better time for a groundbreaking for a new station? And while it is electioneering, it's also for the public good, which is one thing the aspiring and outgoing Chairmen could agree on.
George Guest - Outgoing Crooked Tree Village Chairman
"It's to build a new police station which Crooked Tree has been waiting for for the last six years, I've been rigorously liaising with the police."
Reporter
"As a resident, a villager of this - how happy are you?"
Steve Perriot - Aspiring Crooked Tree Village Chairman
"Well I would jump for joy but the camera wouldn't be able to catch me"
Darrell Tillet - Aspiring Crooked Tree Village Chairman
"I mean it's like it's a million dollars because we've been waiting for this for a long time."
Hon. Edmund Castro - Area Rep - Belize Rural North
"The people of Crooked Tree has been without a police station for well over ten years. There has not been a building in this spot for over six years. So this is something that we need, we're not a high crime area - we are a very nice village but we would want to keep it that way. Crime isn't rampant in Crooked Tree. Someone would steal your cashew seed or plantain before they steal your chain saw or your car."
Reporter
"What was being done in the absence of a Police Station all these years?"
George Guest
"Well we used to have Corporal Gillet that worked out of his house and he just got really fed up with it because they weren't really entertaining him. They had to arrest people and they had to keep them here over night in his own house and that wasn't really what policing was all about."
Reporter
"What difference would this police station make?"
Darrel Tillet
"A lot of difference because now we won't have to call Ladyville or Belize if we have a problem here."
Hon. Edmund Castro
"This building will commence immediately so I would say within six week or 3 months maximum we should have a brand new police station for the villagers of Crooked Tree."
The station and police residence will cost 270 thousand dollars.
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