Also in Belmopan today, 216 police officers from recruit squad 98 finally joined the ranks of the department after their passing out ceremony. As usual, it was an event filled with police pageantry and this new intake - which includes 52 women officers - means the department will have close to 3,000 officers. Minister Musa added that like the previous intakes under his tenure, their training emphasized human rights.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"Of course, over the last few years, we've had a major adjustment in the curriculum that we offer here at the police training Academy. Very heavy emphasizing on the human rights, aspect of policing, community policing, of course, use of technology as an aid and tool in fighting crime, and crime prevention. And so, these officers are freshly minted now, 216 of them, and they will now make up a total of close to 3000 police officers in the police department."
Courtney Menzies:
"How have you seen the culture within the department changed with the other two squads? Because I believe they were trained very similarly with human rights being at the forefront."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"Funnily enough, I was having a discussion, with, one of our counterparts, our strategic partners, a member of the US embassy team, and he is telling me and and I think that is perhaps the best phrase you can get, because if you ask me, obviously, I will think we're doing a great job and I can see the shift. But he's saying that since 2020, he has seen a dramatic shift in the style of policing, in the level of trust, and confidence that the Belizean population has in the police department. Obviously, it's not going to be perfect, but you certainly can see the strides that have been made and to see where there is some confidence that is being restored by the public."
There were to be 219 graduates, but reports say three were sent home yesterday for various infractions.
