This afternoon 43 traffic officers from the Belize City Council's Traffic Department were sworn in as special constables.
Apart from enforcing the city's traffic laws and regulations, these officers now have the powers of arrest, which is usually in the domain of the Belize Police Department. That's why they were trained in their new duties and responsibilities, as well as the limits of that new authority, by Senior Superintendent Leslie Wade, the Director of Training at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan.
They took the Special Constable's oath at a ceremony at the House of Culture in Belize City, and the press was invited to observe. Here's what the mayor and their trainer had to say about their new role as a member of the newly formed Enforcement Department:
Darren Benguche - Enforcement Officer
"Welcome to this afternoon's Special Constable swearing-in and certificate ceremony for our newly combined enforcement department. To my fellow colleagues, today is a major milestone. It shows us how far we've come and where we are headed. Please keep learning, keep trying, keep seeking new accomplishments, and keep working to protect our communities and represent our organization in the best possible way."
Sr. Supt. Leslie Wade - Director of Training, BPD
"This afternoon, in partnership with the Belize City Council, the Planning, Training, and Support Unit of the National Police Training Academy under the leadership of Inspector Hyde and Inspector Borland, I believe, came here for the past two weeks and delivered knowledge, which will only enhance your capabilities, where law enforcement is concerned."
Bernard Wagner - Belize City Mayor
"Today's launch of our newly-formed enforcement department might very well be one of the most important initiatives the City Council has ever embarked on. Our traffic officers brought the same complaints over and over again. People don't respect them. People don't respect the law. People don't respect the traffic officers. They don't even respect the city. What you had today were 43 enforcement officers. What we had before was a traffic department, as well as a special constable unit. We felt that to create a more efficient and effective workforce in terms of ensuring that the residents comply with the law, that enforcement arm needed to be strengthened. And so, we put together traffic enforcement and did the necessary training with the police department. So, we feel that we have a unit out there now that can better respond to infractions of the law. Every day, we see the infractions. Some of them are minor
infractions; some of them some larger infractions. But clearly, we need to change the culture in the city with respect to all types of infractions: the driving of vehicles on the sidewalks, the traffic violation, the running of the red lights, and the buses in the evening time. Those need to be curbed. And the only way we could curb it is to have a more effective and efficient group together, which now has the power to arrest. Previously we had traffic officers who didn't have that authority. All they had was the ticket. That clearly wasn't working. And so, we felt that by giving them now that teeth of the power of arrest, we are in a much better position."
Sr. Supt. Leslie Wade
"Whatever you do out there, ensure it is done within the confines of the law because, remember, the same powers that you have to detain a person or to issue a ticket, you are not exempted from that same power."
