On Monday the Commissioner of Police attempted to mollify anti-crime sentiment on San Pedro by dispatching 16 special constables to the island and opening a training course for them. After one week of training the San Pedro Sun's Ron Sniffin caught up with the new officers as they graduated today.
Ron Sniffin Reporting, for [The San Pedro Sun]
After a week of training and the official swearing in, sixteen San Pedro men are now officially Special Constables, prepared to assist the San Pedro Police to fight crime.
Supt. Noel Leal, Belize Police Department
"It is the result of the action plan of the Commissioner of Police for the Police Department (BPD) in harnessing the support from the community through auxiliary groups and volunteers. In this case there are sixteen Special Constables who have graduated today and who have been sworn in as Special Constables for San Pedro. The BPD's action plan harnesses support from the community, and as I said from volunteers, but it is because as I said we realize we cannot do the job alone so we need the help from these people and from the community."
Ron Sniffin,
"What exactly will the Special Constables do?
Supt. Noel Leal,
"They will be acting in support of the San Pedro police officers. They will be working with them, they will be enforcing the laws, they will have certain powers of arrest, but its mostly to support the San Pedro police detachment. It is like putting sixteen new police officers to the San Pedro detachment in an effort to help us fight and reduce crime in the area."
Sergeants Lanza and Choco spent the week providing the cadets the training and are optimistic these new officers will help curtail crime on the island.
Sgt. Marcelo Choco,
"This training is basically to equip members of the community who took up the initiative to become a Special Constable to help in the fight against crime in collaboration with the San Pedro police detachment. What we did for the past four days is to equip them with the basic knowledge that a law enforcement officer needs to be on the street, to lawfully effect an arrest, and eventually take the matter to court."
Most of the Special Constables have day jobs. However they have made the commitment to make San Pedro safe again.
Thomas Requena, Special Constable
"I've been living out here for the past six years and I am a boat captain and my main interest is that I am in the tourism business and whatever crimes happen on this island, everyone gets affected by it, especially us as tour guides."
Evan Vernon, Special Constable
"I believe you have to contribute to the development of a society, if not you are just going to be on the sidelines and we need people that want to be involved."
So with the assistance of the Special Constables in San Pedro, hopefully they will be able to get a grip on the crime situation. From San Pedro for the San Pedro Sun and Channel 7 News, I am Ron Sniffin.
The Special Constables will take their order from a new officer commanding on the island, Inspector Joaquin Sabal. Sabal was deployed because the Commissioner said his predecessor showed ineffective leadership.
