December is about to end – and there hasn't been a murder recorded in Belize City for the whole month. Now, cross your fingers, knock on wood and all
that good stuff – but if the peace holds, it will be the second month for this year that the Southside has seen no murders. That's pretty darn amazing
considering how the year started with 30 murders for the first half of the year. Today we discussed the numbers with the architect of the downturn,
southside commander Chester Williams:…
Sr. Supt. Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division Southside
"I must say that for the first half of the year, January to July before I came, the murder count for Southside Belize City was at 30. Since I came from
July to present, the murder count for Southside Belize City is 8. So we see a reduction of almost 300% in murders on Southside Belize City when you
compare the second half of this to the first half of this year. We are seeing significant reduction in almost every category of crime when we compare
the latter part of 2015 to the earlier part; or the same period last year. The figure likewise look good but I always say to people, that sometime when
you tell people about figures it does not give them a level of comfort that they want. Because if you are the victim of a crime in this second half of
the year and you were not the victim in earlier part of the year; to you crime went up in the second part. So what normally counts for me is the
perception. How do people feel about crime on Southside Belize City?"
Jules Vasquez
"Sir now we are finishing up December, one day from the end of December, it's been a good month."
Sr. Supt. Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division Southside
"I must say that when the month of December began, I sat with my management team and I said to them, I want a murder free December. It seemed
far-fetched and I said to them that we will ensure that we do all we can do to have a murder free December just as we did in September. I must say that
we are now at the 30th of the month and we have not had any murder since the beginning of this month. And I hope that we can maintain that trend until
tomorrow and even going into next year because we do not want anyone to die, it's not a matter of statistics but a matter of trying to save as much
life as we can."
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