Police officers from both the North and South side held their weekly meet and greet session today. We started off with the north side this afternoon
and caught up with Inspector Fitzroy Yearwood in the Queen Street Area. As we told you, residents in that area are asking police to assist in
organizing a neighbourhood watch. Residents say there is a high level of petty theft in the area. Yerwood told us they are back to start up that
neighbourhood watch and to listen to the other their other concerns.
Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood - Public Relations Officer
"On today's meet and greet we will target the New Road area, Hyde's Lane, Keyhole Alley, Eyrie Street, Hudson Street, Jail Lane; this is sector one A,
B and C. The reason we're targeting this area, we have other areas like Lizarraga Avenue that will come up eventually. We're trying to do meet and
greet almost weekly. We were lucky today that the weather held up and so we can move forward with it."
"It's a house to house effort, being more in direct contact with members of your community, the people that live in your area. This effort we know it's
stressed all over the city but we on the north side we have decided that on a weekly basis, we'll do this. We are forming more neighbourhood watches in
the area. We are trying our best to get the community more interactive in their own personal protection and their own safety."
Courtney Weatherburne
"They are saying around this area there are many issues of petty theft, they are saying."
Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood - Public Relations Officer
"We do have petty theft. We have what you can call opportunity. If you leave something careless in your yard, someone passing by might see it. They
take that opportunity to go with it, then we have the area where we have marine parade, where people assemble at nights for their own entertainment
purposes. We have the patrols that discourage them from that area and we come around listening to the concerns of the residence of the area. That is
how we see the adequate ways to put our patrols in place to prevent this sort of things from re-occurring."
"On the north side we have a lot of businesses, we have the mass majority of employees that walk home in the wee hours of the morning and some of these
people leave their homes in the morning at 6, 7, they don't get back until late night. So we try our best, our meet and greet you might see that
sometime it will be 3 o'clock, sometimes it will be 7 p.m. We will put in that extra effort just to have the people in this area know that they are
safe and when they are at work, we have their backs in this area."
Now as part of their community policing, there are also initiatives and programs to engage the kids in the area. Last night you heard in our newscast
that a 14 year old boy was caught with a .25 pistol near the MCC grounds and charged for gun offense. Police say the boy is a member of the Victoria
Street Bloods Gang. Yearwood told us about the programs available to keep kids away from the gang life.
Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood - Public Relations Officer
"The CYDP peace cup is one of those initiatives. In December we had the basketball tournament in the Pickstock area; we have several other tournaments,
football and volleyball. It's already planned; we will try to execute it as soon as we're finished with the CYDP cup. We have a whole lot of programmes
that will run throughout the year to involve youths. All this is coordinated through our efforts and community policing where we have community
policing in each sector in this area. And they directly deal with schools and youths on a daily basis."
Residents in the southside are also calling on the police to organize those same programs in their area. This evening about 35 officers were going
house to house in different zones on the southside. We spoke first with Superintendent David Chi on Krooman Road and he told us residents want a
neighborhood watch and more patrols.
Supt. David Chi - OC, Precinct 1
"It is very important to do the meet, it gives us an understanding of the area, the way people feel and it gives us information, opinions as how to
better police the area. In that sense we understand where people need assistance, what we can do. For instance we just spoke to some people in this
area and they are asking about neighbourhood watch because of past incidents where they had to be looking out for each other. So we spoke to them and
we agree with them that the police will be back in this area to assist them to form a neighbourhood watch in this area, which will make the area much
safer."
Residents are also asking for the overgrown lawns and bushes to be cut.
We also caught up with Senior Superintendent Chester Williams in the Fabers Road area on Madam Liz Street. Williams discussed some of the concerns of
the residents and what will be done to keep that community safe.
Sr. Supt. Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South
"I must say that this is our first meet and greet for this area. For some reason or the other we have overlooked this area of south side Belize City
and while we have made 2, 3 visits in other parts of south side Belize City, this is our first visit in this area and people in the area do have some
concerns and some legitimate one in terms of; they are complaining that they not seen much of the police in this area. What I have assured the
residence is that effective today, they will see increased police presence within this area. We will put a motorcycle patrol in to remain in this area
24/7. In terms of addressing the concern about police not being in the area, that will be addressed today. Yes it is an area where we are not having
much problems but as you would know that just over the weekend we had an issue in the area where gunshots were fired. Again that gave cause of concern
to the people within this area, so it's something we need to address. When people do not feel safe in the neighbourhood, it is a concern to us, we
we'll put in place the mechanism to ensure that we alleviate that sense of insecurity that they are feeling."
Williams says there will be motorcycle patrols in the Fabers Road area.
Now keeping these communities safe is just one part of their community policing strategy. Another crucial approach is ensuring that those who terrorize the south side residents with gun violence and gang rivalry are dealt with. This is done through police interventions with gang members when there is tension between gangs. Williams discussed how effective this approach is to the reduction of crime.
Last week Tuesday, we showed you our interview with the Prime Minister in which he discussed the reason Mike Feinstein's Port project, Stakebank, might
be scrapped. According to the Prime Minister, Feinstein wanted the government to give him a 25 year exclusive contract as the only cruise port in
Belize City.
Government's Plan B, is to revive the old Port of Belize project idea. That's the failed project that the then Port owner, Luke Espat, broke ground
with Carnival Cruise Line, but which never materialized. The Ashcroft Alliance now wants to partner with the Government to make the project become a
reality this time around, and the Grassroots Organization, COLA, has joined the chorus of opposition to the idea.
The release says, "
While COLA has been on the record as supporting the need for a cruise port in Belize City – the sooner the better – we cannot support this failed
project, disguised and repackaged by Ports Investment Limited and supported by the moving hand of the Alliance."
And then, COLA goes further to try to press the Government on the sudden interest in what Ashcroft has planned for Belize.
They ask,
"Exactly what is the role of Lord Michael Ashcroft behind this latest move, if any? This was a man despised to the depths by the UDP both in
Opposition and in Government until the takeover of the public utilities was settled last year…So is everything now hunky-dory between them?"
COLA's release ends by demanding that Government answer these questions in order to convince the public that whatever has changed between 2004-2006 and
now, justifies their support for the Port of Belize as the location for the new Cruise Port to Call in Belize City.
It made major news 2 years ago when 38 year-old Police Constable Oscar Ramirez was charged with extortion for an accusation while he was on duty in San
Pedro. Well, the accused cop is accused no more; the Magistrate's Court has thrown the extortion charge out of court.
As we told you, 18 year-old Sander Palma, who was a minor at the time, told police that his friend, Mirna Berganza, was detained by police for a
traffic offence. Palma told police then that he had Ramirez $600 to release her, with the promise that he would pay another $700 at a later date.
Well, the case was called up before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer today, and Palma told the court that he no longer wanted to proceed with court
action against Ramirez. Without a complainant, Senior Magistrate Frazer was obliged to strike it out for want of prosecution. That set Constable
Ramirez free of the charge.
And finally tonight, one last bit of news from the Mexican Ambassador's Luncheon. He announced that Mexico has made the money available for a sports
facility within the Marion Jones Sports Complex. As we understand it, this would be within the what is considered the parking lot. Ambassador Quesnel
explained:..
H.E. Carlos Quesnel Melendez - Mexican Ambassador to Belize
H.E. Carlos Quesnel Melendez - Mexican Ambassador to Belize
"The money through the Yucatán fund is 5 million US dollars."
Right now, there is no word from the Government of Belize on when that first stone will be put there – but considering that Marion Jones has been one
big PUDP misadventure from bow to stern, we aren't holding our breaths
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Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood - Public Relations Officer
Supt. David Chi - OC, Precinct 1
Sr. Supt. Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South
H.E. Carlos Quesnel Melendez - Mexican Ambassador to Belize