The Ministry of Home Affairs, which is responsible for the police department, held a meeting with the San Pedro Town Council to try to contain the spike in violent crime on the island.
A press release from the Government says that on Saturday, representatives from police, the Home Affairs Ministry, and the council met to discuss the recent shootings on the island. Leading the meeting were Belize Rural South Area Rep. Manuel Heredia Jr.; Mayor Daniel Guerrero,; Police Commissioner Allen Whylie, Assistant Police Commissioner, Edward Broaster, and the Officer Commanding the Coastal Executive Unit Superintendent of Police Mr. Henry Jemmott.
They are also re-strategizing in their action plan for San Pedro. The Government press release says, quote, "All attendees expressed their concerns in regards to the recent shootings and the general perception as it relates to safety and impact on the tourism industry." End quote.
The change in strategy will include a re-distribution of manpower on the ground to increase police visibility and quicker responses; allocation of additional police equipment to improve the response time; and, among other things, implementing a boat passenger manifest at all ports of entries within the next 3 months. If you've ever been on a water taxi, you'll know that sounds ambitious but specific tasks have been assigned to the various entities represented at the meeting.
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