Last night, at the top of the newscast we reported on the very troubling report of the abduction of 4 primary school students from in front of the Queen Square Anglican Primary School in Belize City.
Well, tonight we can confirm: it didn't happen; four children were not abducted in a white van. Though a child did say that she witnessed it - it seems that was just a story. There has been no missing person report - and there are no children from that school unaccounted for.
Today Eastern Division police held a press briefing at the Raccoon Street Police Station to say that, nonetheless, measures are being taken to ensure the safety of children.
WCpl Hortence Hernandez, Community Policing
"The main purpose is for children up to t6he age of 17, who the police have no doubt in their mind to believe that a child or children have been abducted. Simply means taken against their will by someone else. That was the purpose of Jasmine Alert. What we urge parents or guardian to do is to teach your child simple basic things; parents phone numbers, you addresses. One of the things we know that Belizeans don't do very often is to take updated photographs of your child. We urge that you take photographs at least twice a year. What is very important, it is imperative that if you believe that child have been abducted or kidnapped - for the police to get this information as soon as possible, not 24 hours thereafter. For the Jasmine Alert to be effective, we cannot work within information after 24 hours. So, parents, guardian, if you believe your child is in any eminent danger, make a report to the nearest police station as soon as possible."
Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster, Deputy Commander, Eastern Division
"What we want to encourage the principals and the school wardens and parents and the community at large to do, is to be on the lookout for our children and to ensure that when anyone sees any suspicious activity or anything out of the ordinary or any vehicle that is circling or not normally in the area, to call the police and report the matter, so that we can investigate and check it out."
"Yesterday, we got a report that 4 children were abducted; 3 female, 1 male. As of up to this hour, we have not have any report from any parents to confirm that their child have been abducted. We had canvass the area yesterday. We have expend all our resources today in the area, check with all the neighbors, the fire department included - everybody in that area to confirm that report and we were unable to do so."
"There are a lot of panic that is going on with parents and some parents today didn't sent their children to school. We are saying to them that you can sent your child to school and we are just appealing to the community to be calm. When we got this report yesterday about the 4 children being abducted, we act upon it as if though it occurred and we are still doing investigations and we are still doing cautions to schools. As we speak right now we have a senior officer in the officer commanding visiting the schools, talking to the principals and to the school wardens, to emphasize this message or this advisory that we are putting right now, that if they see anything suspicious, please call us and so forth."
Vigilance also remains high in Orange Walk where earlier this week reports emerged that a Caucasian man in a white SUV was trying to lure school children into his vehicle. Later on you'll hear from the principal of La Immaculada School.
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