And while crime is wild in the city - not so much in San Pedro - which has seen a sharp drop in violent crime over the last 17 months.
But, that doesn't mean police haven't been busy - and today they proved that by destroying three years worth of confiscated drugs. The Coastal Executive Officer invited the press to observe as a second layer of transparency, and 7News attended. Daniel Ortiz has that story:
Just before midday, San Pedro Police began to burn all the drugs that they had confiscated over the last 3 years or so on both islands of San Pedro and Caye Caulker.
It is the second mass quantity destruction that has been done under the leadership of Superintendent Chris Noble.
Reporter
"What is the approximate quantity that you guys are burning today?"
Superintendent Chris Noble - Coastal Executive Officer
"[It's] a bit over a hundred kilos total drugs."
Reporter
"Tell us about the origin of these items."
Superintendent Chris Noble
"Concluded cases, found property, that would be from our different searches where, 1, nobody was arrested, and then there are cases that were concluded in the courts."
Reporter
"How long have you guys here in San Pedro been accumulating this quantity?"
Superintendent Chris Noble
"This quantity, you would say over the last 2 to 3 years because the cases that have recently been concluded, some are 3 and 4 years old."
Reporter
"So, we're talking about marijuana, cocaine, and any other unusual..."
Superintendent Chris Noble
"Some are tablets and other illicit items. I believe we've had maybe one that is upwards of 3 kilos and the person was convicted on the same day she was detained."
The most efficient way to burn them would be to just dump the entire pile of drugs on the bonfire. But, each quantity of drugs has a different case number. So, there is a careful reconciliation process that must be done to account for every gram.
Superintendent Chris Noble
"The process is that you first gather a listing. We get it approved. It takes a bit, and after we get the listing approved, then we get the local magistrate, the commander of the prosecuting section, the National Forensic Science Service, [and] a local justice of the peace to ensure that we go through the process, and what is destroyed is what you see there."
That process might be tedious, but for the law enforcement personnell, transparency is key for the general public that they serve.
Superintendent Chris Noble
"As the Minister said in an interview recently, community policing is the way to go. We have been a part of this community. We serve this community, and we intend for this community to trust us with guarding them. Our mandate is the protection of life and property. So, that is where we go."
Reporter
"How long do you guys estimate it will take to completely destroy those 100+ kilos?"
Superintendent Chris Noble
"Anywhere upwards of 2 and a half hours."
Noble tells us that he hopes to conduct these drug burnings as frequently as is possible.
