The Belize Police Department, it has recently been rocked by scandals of officers behaving badly and then of course there is the spiraling crime problem.
But even if they are losing the war on out there on the streets, the PD is determined to at least win the public relations battle in the court of public opinion. So as of tonight, the police is going digital and information on Belize's most wanted criminals, missing persons, and any other info about the police's work will be only a mouse click away.
The department this morning unveiled its first webpage and Police Commissioner Jose Zetina says their new home on the net is the beginning of a new era in policing.
Jose Zetina, Commissioner of Police
"It's progress. It's just an indicator of what is happening in the police department, we are moving forward in getting involved in high-tech matters."
Keith Swift,
"As Commissioner how does this fit into the police's role of to serve and protect?"
Jose Zetina,
"Well as you can see the public will be kept informed. It is a start today but the public will be kept informed of what has happened in the past and what is current. So we will have to do a lot of background checks and get our facts straight and have it highly publicized through the website.""
Keith Swift,
"What is your response to people who say we don't need a police website, we just want the police out there doing their job of serving and protecting us?"
Jose Zetina,
"Well we are in the game of public relations, you know community policing and this is just a part of it. You know this is a part of it, keeping the public informed, working along with the public, we are going to be open and transparent in whatever we do."
One thing missing from the site is a complaint desk. The web site was designed and is hosted by Quest Technologies located on Queen Street in the city. Click here to visit the Police Department's Website.