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Today, the High Command of the Belize National Coast Guard invited the media to a briefing where they gave an overview of their performance over the last year.

It was a lengthy and extensive 2 hour presentation, but here are a few important excerpts of the Coast Guard's operations geared at making Belize's seas safer:

Adm. John Borland - Commandant, Belize National Coast Guard

"The coast guard grew from a strength of 50 in 2005 where we started to 320 in 2015 but more significant over the last 2 years, since 2012 the coast guard grew from a strength of 120 to 320. Critical was the approval of our new recruiting policy from the national security council to grow the coast guard by 100 each year to reach the desired end strength of 700 by the year 2020."

Lt. Junior Grade Alma Pinelo - Adjutant, Belize National Coast Guard

"Under the headquarters command are the seal platoons. We have here 4 seal platoons that we would like to establish between now and 2020 each with 16 personnel."

Adm. John Borland - Commandant, Belize National Coast Guard

"The coast guard continued also with its enduring partnership without partner nations, we share common goals and face common threats in proving our defence and security mechanisms. Through this partnership with United States Southern Command, we saw the coast guard multi-purpose complex building commence construction and is near completion scheduled for the end of April 2016. We saw capacity building increase as we continue to receive valuable support in training for our forces both in country and overseas. This was made possible through the partnerships, not only with South Com but United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico; allowing us to train at their institutions alongside their forces."

But, out at sea, most of the Coast Guard's heavy lifting is done by the organization's Fleet unit. They're the coast guard officers who remain on unceasing patrols, and who are on the front line of trying to deter criminal activities on Belize's water. The Fleet Commander discussed a bit on their sustained presence all around the country:

Lt. Gregory Soberanis - Commander, 1st Fleet

"This is our current disposition of the fleet. We have a team stationed in Consejo, Northern Ambergris or Bakalar Chico foot patrol. We maintain constant presence in that area as that area proved to be one of the hostile areas for the coast guard. We maintain presence at our station in San Pedro, we have as mentioned prior a reserve component here at the headquarters. We have troops deployed to our forward operating base at Calabash, we provide support to Audubon at Lighthouse Atoll, Halfmoon Caye. We also provide support to fisheries in the Dangriga area of Twin Caye. We have our troops deployed to the sapodilla range at Hunting Caye as well as support to tide in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve, so that is our current disposition."

"We also conduct patrols or joint patrols with the Mexican navy. We at the coast guard, we have a very good working relationship with the navy; a very good partnership with the Mexican navy. Throughout the year we conduct joint patrols with the Mexican navy and these patrols are coordinated between us, the Mexican navy and the Belize Defence Force. It's a wonderful working relationship; it's a wonderful working partnership. It is one that we currently do not have with our Guatemalan counterparts."

As we told you earlier, the BDF finally got their 2 helicopters, donated by Taiwan, in to the country. But, as we've told you, they're not the only law enforcement unit, for which new toys are to be handed over. The Coast Guard is waiting patiently for their biggest boats yet, vessels which will allow them to police further out into the Caribbean Sea. The Commandant told us about these 2 vessels which are to be constructed by the Mexicans, and how he intends to put them to use for national interests:

Adm. John Borland - Commandant, Belize National Coast Guard

"The coast guard has allocated a significant portion of that loan for exactly what I said, the acquisition of two future large patrol crafts in the form of two 30-O7 Sea Axe patrol boat. 30-O7 simple means the vessel is 30 metres long, which is 100 feet and 7 metres wide, being 21 feet. We are in discussions with our Mexican counter parts and also the Americans to see where we will come up with the best possible option of acquiring these platforms for the best bang for our bucks as we would say. Those vessels will be national security cutters, they'll be multi-task, multi-purpose, multi mission cutters that would enable the coast guard to really extend this operation beyond the territorial seas to the extent of our exclusive economic zone into the continental shaft and even regionally. They will conduct and perform a host of missions, law enforcement, humanitarian, military missions and they really are what we said; national security assets. They are owned and they are managed by the coast guard but they are to be utilized by national security mandates for the benefit and prosperity of everyone in this nation."

The boats are being funded by a loan to the government from CABEI.