Today at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan, the Police department held its end of year Compstat review. That's short for "compare stats" and as the commissioner explained, the comparison was favorable in 2024 versus 2023:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"The analysis for last year would show that overall, we had a reduction of 16% in major crime and, a slight increase in homicide or murders."
"In other words, murders went from 87 in 2023 to 89 in 2024. Overall major crime for 2024 was, currently is 1,075. So Eastern Division accounted for a decrease of 24% in major crime. When you compare last year to 2023. Also Eastern Division represented 18% reduction in homicide. And I can say to you that 2024 is the only year in history I could recall where Eastern Division does not account for more than half of the country's murder count."
"In other words, of the 89 murders committed in 2024, Eastern Division had 39."
"But most importantly, I think that we we need to give credit to the foot soldiers, the constables and the corporals and the sergeants who, hit the pavement everyday. They are the ones who ensured that our policing plan was fully implemented and that we get the results that we received at the end of the year. So I give all praises to them along with the other outside agencies and, organizations that work with us, so that we would have been able to reduce crime in Eastern Division the way we did."
Jules Vasquez
"But you haven't mentioned the most important thing you need to give credit to: the four months of SOE, including one three month SOE. That's the most important driver for the reduction of crime."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Well Jules, you have your theory. Sometimes I wonder what is your true theory as to why crime is reduced? Because the other morning on the beef. I heard you erroneously said that, crime is down because 100, of the, or over 100 of the known gang members had fled to the to the US. I now you are saying that because the issue is I don't know which of them is going to be your true theory."
"I can tell you that the. If the results of 2024 has a lot to do with one: effective policing, two, our collaboration with other stakeholders, and, three, the willingness of those young men who are known to be, problem makers in the streets to work with the police and with LIU, the community and a whole also contributed by providing information to the police."
"So I will not say that results that we got is a result of the SOE. No. It certainly has to do with all those factors I had mentioned earlier."
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