Along with increased merry making the Christmas season also brings the increased liquidity. This is a time when city dwellers dig up reserves of cash and other trade-ables to celebrate the Christmas. But past experiences tell us that along with extra cash and a celebratory mood the season also brings a wave of criminals and criminal activities by persons who prey on the cash and scramble of the season. At the press briefing yesterday the man in between the criminals and law abiding citizens, Assistant Commissioner of Police Crispin Jeffries, told us that what the police will be doing this season should be considered judicial notice. Meaning there is no need to ask, patrols will be increased.
ACP Crispin Jeffries,
"Nationally the Police Department steps up its efforts every time for the Christmas season. That will continue to happen, even after I leave this department because it is a trend, it is a part of the culture of belief that festive times bring increases in crime activities and criminal activities. We will be dealing with it. We are in the process of preparing for the graduation of a new squad of recruit which will be held sometime around December. In the last two months we've had some serious manpower shortage in Belize City. We are hoping that some of that will be addressed by this graduation."
Along with deploying additional resources with composite patrols of BDF and police officers Jeffries addressed the issue of unmanned police booths. He says his logic of securing the city does not necessarily have to be done through police booths.
ACP Crispin Jeffries,
"I must guard against people getting the idea of police booth here and there because the behavior of the public is that if I put a police booth the Commissioner must put a police there and that is not the reality. As Mr. Reid would indicate to you, to man a police building 24 hours a day is impractical because the police would have to leave that building at anytime to respond to crime. So to give effective police numbers out at such facilities would require anywhere from a dozen to sixteen officers which is not a reality. And if one person puts up a small building in every neighborhood in Belize City and we require the Commissioner to put one to fifteen police officers there it is highly unrealistic. My approach is to have a high response capability by giving mobile and foot patrol and bicycle patrol presence in as much communities as we can, leaving the people free of guarding any buildings."
