Email

Print

Earlier on, we told you that police are ready to charge a 19 year old for the carnival grenade. And while that should allay some public fears, after the series of violent events and the public terror they created on carnival Saturday, restoring citizens’ confidence will take some time. An important litmus test came on Saturday at the annual Expo Trade Show. After what happened a week earlier, would people risk going out again? The Chamber and the police did all they could to convince the public that it was safe, but did they respond? They did, and in record numbers. The Chamber of Commerce reports that 17,000 people visited the show. And with all those visitors, there are no crimes to report. But that was achieved by extra screening and we visited to see how it went.

Keith Swift Reporting,
In a post urban terror Belize City, deal hunters at the expo had to deal with metal detectors. Men had to empty their pockets and women’s purses were searched. It was inconvenient but all in the name of safety and no one seemed to mind – not even Mark King.

Mark King,
“I think it is excellent. The criminals have brought their A-game and the government of Belize has brought its A+ game, its great. If you are going up in a plane and you know that plane is going to come down, you definitely want security and the government has put down its foot, we feel completely secure and safe out here.”

Woman #1,
“I came to look for bargains.”

Keith Swift,
How do you feel about being scanned?

Woman #1,
“Well it doesn’t matter because it is for security reasons and if we don’t do something like this we can’t tell who is who out here.”

Keith Swift,
You brought your daughter out with you, any concern about safety?

Woman #2,
“Yes because of what happened at the carnival.”

Keith Swift,
And you still brought your daughter out?

Woman #2,
“Yes because we can’t stay home, we have to fight it. We can’t get frightened. We just hope they do something about it.”

Keith Swift,
Does being scanned to enter make you feel any safer?

Woman #2,
“No, that is normal.”

Keith Swift,
Any concern about safety?

Man #1,
“Yes with the past scare they had with this grenade thing, I was like a hundred yards away from where they threw the grenade with my children watching the parade.”

Keith Swift,
You are concerned but you still came.

Man #1,
“Yes because I have confidence in the security services.”

Woman #3,
“These are my children, my daughter Jennifer and my son. It is really really appreciated, it makes you have a sense of security and safety…last week was a concern but when I heard about the security measures they had taken, I was motivated to come.”

A sense of security in what was a shopper’s paradise – free of the perils of urban terror.

We know of one incident on Saturday when a man tried to enter with his licensed firearm. He was told it wasn’t allowed and he was turned back.