After a weekend that saw 6-murders, police have been trying their best to return Belize City to a relative calm. They're focusing on community policing, specifically in the parts of the city where the gang rivalries and street feuds led to killings.
Today, the cops were out on the Aloe Vera and Tibruce Streets, doing their Wednesday meet and greet session. Those are of course the streets where the 3 women, 52 year-old Bernadine Lauriano, 64 year-old Theresita Flowers, and 17 year old Delcia Blanco were shot and killed in their homes - in separate incidents, one week apart.
And in a surprising shift, the police invited the press to stop in and see how the meet and greet sessions were going. You'll remember that these events stopped making the evening news for almost 6 months because the former commander of Eastern Division South said that the media's presence interfered with the initiative's objectives.
Well, the new commanders in charge of Eastern Division have a different style, and so, we caught up with them talking to the residents who are trapped in middle of these street wars.
Here's what they told us:
Sr. Supt. Howell Gillett, OC - Eastern Division South
"This is the area where the unfortunate incident took place and we believe that there's still some level of disagreement and we have to come out and show that we the police are monitoring what is occurring. We want for calm to prevail and we want the fear of crime to be lowered, we want the incidents to stop. Yes we have the operational side of it, but we have to have that community side of it also and that is what we are doing today. Today we have myself as the south side commander. We have the Regional commander Mr. Mariano and even the commander of operations Mr. Chester Williams who is here with us today from Belmopan to be out here to show his support."
ACP Chester Williams, Commander - Operations
"I want to say welcome to the Gentleman on my right and left, to Belize City. What I've been doing this week is to take them around the city to introduce them to the different neighborhoods. What we're doing today is to do a meet and great in the Tibruce Street area. While using the same opportunity to introduce them to the residents of Tibruce Street to let them know that these 2 gentlemen will now be in Belize City and will be looking after their security. Yes as commander of operations I do have significate interest in ensuring that the crime is reduced not only in Belize City but across the country. For right now Belize City is our number one priority."
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