The police in Belize City are fighting an ever escalating crime war in the streets. They kick down doors and drag out suspects and there are numerous complaints of police brutality. But while their pressure is never relenting the police are also looking at other ways of doing things and prevention and community participation are key components. One program that was started last year and which is proving to be a model for good community policing is the Yabra Community Development Program. Intervention programs run from this organization is yielding some successes but there is still a lot to be done. Today that program got a significant boost when they opened their new computer resource center. Alfonso Noble reports.
Alfonso NobleReporting,
Windell Lemot is a member of the Yabra Community Development Project, he's 21 years old, a University of Belize student and like other young men his age, the computer lab that was inaugurated today, is geared at assisting them.
Windell Lemot, Yabra Resident
"A center like this will help the youths in the way that if they have nothing to do, they can come and spend their free time here rather than hanging out at the street side. You can come and do something more constructive, probably you could watch a movie off of this rather than being at the street side just waiting for someone to do a drive-by on you. Anything could happen and this offers you alternative. It gives the youths alternatives, once you give them alternatives, they will pick the right one but if they have no choice then they can only take what is in front of them and more than likely that will be a gun."
And with the only alternative being a gun children like 4-year-old Arkel August has no future. Today however he sat at the computer desk and though he did not know what he was punching in, the hope is that in the very near future he will know. These computers, 8 from the British High Commission, 4 from the Protected Areas Conservation Trust and another from GS Com is a small part of what the Yabra Project is offering as an alternative. The man at the helm of the program is Assistant Commissioner of Police Crispin Jeffries. The message that the Yabra Project is sending out will be that there will be opportunities for those who want them and for those who do not, the law will run its course.
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
"The police, we need to reach out to the community. If we can reach out to the community, I am certain at the end of the day we will be able to prevent crimes by inculcating, educating our youths, providing access to internet. We are doing a pilot project here and we need your support to publicize it, to promote it, and then we will be able to take it to other communities, especially these areas that you have mentioned. That is the way but at the same time we will not let down where enforcement is concerned because those that want to come on stream, fine, but those that do not will feel the brunt of the law and that is the bottom line."
And while that's the police's bottom line Valdemar Andrade the executive director of PACT says that his organization's bottom line is different. We are used to see them funding the protection of conservation areas but he says revolving around those are people.
Valdemar Andrade, Executive Director - PACT
"The Protected Areas Conservation Trust has a portion of its funds allocated for non-environmental projects that are worthy. It is up to five thousand dollars that we give to community projects and in this we were able to fund five computers for the center by partnering up with our private sector donor who donated one but also gave us a significant discount for us to be able to afford five. But so they are small funds that are set aside because the community is very important to us because they are supposed to be the ones who benefit from managing and protecting protected areas. It is bridging the gap between people and the environment, that's what the fund is supposed to do."
Today that was significantly evident in this case the environment is one where an alternative would lead residents in the area along a path where no good can come, but that is only if this program has anything to do with it.
The Yabra program is a pilot and plans are underway to form similar ones across the city.
