The zone beat liaison officers, they're the police men and women who go out into communities and neighborhoods, not with batons and pistols, but with pens and papers to take notes on the neighborhood complaints and concerns about police. Today they took part in a special session where they got to meet with school children from E.P. Yorke high and hear their concerns. Police Commissioner Carmen Zetina told us that community police is Important:
Jose Carmen Zetina – Commissioner of Police
"Community policing as such is one of our main focus in the fight against crime and violence and this is very essential component in the whole package of what we are doing."
Joseph Sampson – Coordinator Community Policing
"What needs to happen is for police officers to talk to the community. So we have gotten what we say is a sample of the community in bringing a group of students from E.P. Yorke and a teacher to participate with the police in deliberations and discussions, looking at the challenges that face all of us in the community, that face the police."
"Hopefully at the end of the day we can have recommendations that could be given to the commissioner of police which eventually can find their way to the community policing policies of the police department. And then we have those activated and hopefully we can have a better and more effective community policing program in Belize."