Policewomen make up 10% of the department - that's about 120 strong. Add the civilian staff where the majority of that 150 is also female - and you've got a Police Department that's not as macho as you might think. But don't think that feminization is a bad thing. Today the Deputy Commissioner of Police Maureen Leslie told us that if women ran the department, Belize would be a better place. Certainly a more relaxed one, because in celebration of Women's Week, the women of the department took a day to tour Belize, and we caught up with senior officers Maureen Leslie and Yolanda Murray - soon to be named senior superintendent - at Old Belize, kicking back with the gals. Their boss, Commissioner Gerald Westby told us that's just fine by him because they've earned it.
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
"The Police Department, I can recall many years ago the highest a female could reach was a sergeant but today we have broken that taboo. We now have a deputy Commissioner of Police who is a female and soon to be promoted to Senior Superintendent is Mrs. Yolanda Murray. They have come a long way. We have Supt. Willis and the important thing Jules is not that they are female but they have earned their keep, they have earned their respect and the Police Department is wide open for everybody."
Jules Vasquez,
When you entered, did you ever envision that someday you would be Senior Superintendent?
Supt. Yolanda Murray,
"Well not at the moment as I joined because the women could only have gone up to the rank of sergeant when I joined the department. But luckily, the Commissioner at the time Mr. Bernard Bevans had opened up the ranks for women police and so I was the first woman to be promoted to the rank of Inspector at that time."
Jules Vasquez,
Do you think you have received equal treatment, equal respect, equal pay, equal everything within a male dominated Police Department?
Deputy COMPOL Maureen Leslie,
"Equal pay, yes. Equal treatment, I would say 90%. We still have some little areas that we need to work on as a group."
Jules Vasquez,
Is there not an institutional sexism in a typically male dominated department?
Gerald Westby,
"Jules I want to really disagree with you. Certainly in the department we do not look at females like that. They are our equal partner and we will continue to promote that in this department as long as I am the Commissioner of Police."
Maureen Leslie,
"When I went into training we had six other females and at that time we had about maybe six or seven different females the most in the department and we were told at the training school that you can aspire for the very top seat and at that time we had the first Belizean Commissioner which was Mr. Adolphus and he said, 'Maureen go as far as you can go, right up to the top.' So I am just missing it by an inch."
Jules Vasquez,
Do you hope or envision that someday a woman will or can lead this department?
Maureen Leslie,
"We must, there will be a female Commissioner, definitely."
Jules Vasquez,
What advice would you give a young female officer who has just been recruited or considering a life in the Police Department?
Yolanda Murray,
"Definitely I would give advice to them as much women as possible in the department, even those that have not joined, is to work as hard, do not sit back because you are a woman, or maybe you would think that somebody will like you for your pretty looks and promote you, no it is not that way so they need to work, they need to be committed, dedicated."
Jules Vasquez,
You all make up ten percent of the department but is a man's department.
Maureen Leslie,
"Unfortunately but eventually that will change too because Honduras had a female Commissioner, Nicaragua right now has a female Commissioner, I think Dominican Republic had a female Commissioner and there are a lot of female deputy commissioners in the Caribbean. So we are getting there, little by little we are getting there."
Jules Vasquez,
Do you think if we increase the presence and authority of women in the department that we will see more resolution oriented law enforcement?
Maureen Leslie,
"In the entire community Jules, you have said it. You put more females to the top and you will see a massive change throughout the nation."
Yolanda Murray will retire this year as Senior Superintendent and Maureen Leslie will retire as Deputy Commissioner. At retirement, both will have been in the department for 35 years.
