7 News Belize

Meet The New OCED
posted (July 17, 2014)
That's great police work today, a few hours before the newly promoted Assistant Police Commissioner Desiree Phillips granted a media encounter in her new post as Officer Commanding Eastern Division. Today, she sat down with us in her office and discuss the current situation in Belize City, and recent spike in crime.

Here's what she told us:

Reporter
"What are the proposals under your command that you foresee trying to bring this back down and have people feel comfortable in coming back to Belize City because we are already hearing people saying once again I am afraid to come to Belize City."

ACP - Desiree Phillips - New OCED
"Well you know to be honest with you a lot has to do with all the sensitization by the media spilling things over, but realistically speaking the truth of the matter is that things are not as bad as it may seem. You may or may not want to agree with me but that's the reality and I have been involved in different meetings with the different gang groups over the past few months and some of the things that we have been doing it has been working. We will continue to build on those things. Like I said it's nothing new, it's just a matter of building on what we have been doing and doing more of what makes successful; doing more of what works. With respect to the high visibility presence in the streets, that will definitely continue. We will definitely be imploring on intelligence lead policing of course. We will be re-strategizing our efforts, but of course we remain focus."

Reporter
"I know you don't like the word negotiating with gangs, but whenever there is an approach of speaking and discussing with these gang members to keep the violence down, what measures are there to hold them accountable for whatever they are given - meaning to ensure that the gang violence does increase again. I mean we are giving you this, but you are to ensure that no more bodies are being seen."

ACP - Desiree Phillips - New OCED
"Well you know in everything you do in life, nothing is a guarantee. Regardless of the efforts and regardless of all the meeting and the truces and the promises, people tend to on their own stray away from these things. But there is only so much that can be done in that regards and we will stand firm on what the law requires. There are laws for different thing that people out there commit themselves every day. We will just have to deal with who needs to be dealt with because it's not a thing that you can say you will be signing a contract and if you breach the contract then this is what will happen to you. It doesn't work that way, but the fact of the matter is that there are laws and we are the executers of the law and the law will have to take its course."

And while we had the opportunity, we asked her about the difference - if any - that will play out now that she has succeeded Deputy Commissioner Miguel Segura. Here are her comments:

ACP - Desiree Phillips - New OCED
"Of course I have to concede that there is quite a number of incidents that have been occurring over the past few weeks. But the simple fact that I've been here for the past 18 months gives me the opportunity to understand what is happening and create plans how to address them."

Reporter
"But certainly its very different being or functioning under someone who is actually leading the branch or area as oppose to actually now you being in that position."

ACP - Desiree Phillips - New OCED
"That is true, but to be honest with you as a deputy you know one of the task is also assume command in the absence of your commander and I have been tasked with that opportunity on different occasions where I held as officer commanding eastern division for different periods of time, so it's nothing really new to me."

On March 26, ACP Phillips was chosen by the US Embassy in Belize as their 2014 Woman of the Year.

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