And while the district is leading in crime, a new directive from the Eastern Division Commander's desk shows that Belize district is trailblazing in more ways than one. 7NEWS has confirmed that Assistant Commissioner Maureen Leslie has circulated a memorandum directing commanders not to arrest persons caught in possession of very small quantities of marijuana. How small? Well today ACP Leslie told us it's about two or three seeds, which is roughly 0.2 grams. But working police we spoke to say they understand the minimum to be two grams which is about two sticks of marijuana.
Whatever the case, the directive is significant because it can be interpreted as the first step to decriminalizing marijuana. But ACP Leslie today told us that is not at all the objective. She says that the initiative is designed to foster better public relations with the community. She noted that police have been arresting many young men with minuscule quantities of drugs so small that it can barely be tested. She says that with this new directive, she now expects her officers to issue a stern reprimand to offenders in the first instance. And if it happens again, those offenders will be taken in and processed as regular.
It's one of a number of strategies that the police are taking up to reach out to disenfranchised sections of the community and later in our newscast, Keith Swift will tell us about another effort by the Commissioner of Police engaging in dialogue with past gang leaders.