We're a day away from the start of the long Easter weekend and by now you probably know what you'll be doing over the four day weekend. But the Police Department says you should also be thinking about your safety. The department held a press conference this morning to explain how it plans to keep the streets, highways, and high seas safe over the four day weekend. Here's what they had to say.

ACP Crispin Jeffries, Commander - Eastern Division
"We're approaching this Easter festive season from three separate angles: crime, traffic, and water safety - all in aid of having person or person's families enjoy a safe and happy Easter."

And to ensure a safe and happy Easter weekend, the Police Department is leading a multi-agency anti-crime and safety operation. In the city, Eastern Division boss ACP Crispin Jeffries says vehicle and foot patrols will be deployed to reduce burglaries, noise pollution, and alcohol related violations.

ACP Crispin Jeffries,
"There will be an increase in foot, vehicular patrols both over and covert. There will be an increase in checkpoints. We know that during the Easter season there is a lot of alcohol sales and drinking. We will be enforcing laws in relation to alcohol drinking. Good Friday and Christmas Day are two of the days which by law limits the opening hours for the sale of liquor. We will be enforcing those for the Easter season, especially in Belize City and at social functions.

It is customary that business places open all day. We understand this, we understand the socio-economic conditions but we would regret to have to say to business places we will shut you down if you are out there selling liquor and have people carousing in public places on Good Friday.

The social events planned for this weekend will have, as Mr. Wade pointed out, a number of places with loud music. We will be shutting down some of those places if the music becomes disturbing. It is traditional, it is cultural in Belize that we have a safe and quiet Easter Sunday and a Good Friday. There will be a number of open air church services across the country, across the city, and the police will be in full support of those. We need to maintain what is the beauty of Belize, a cultural tradition, so we will be enforcing the laws related to church services, open air church services, church processions on that day and we will not entertain anybody with loud music or alcohol drinking to disturb those functions."

Nationally, Assistant Commissioner of Police Eduardo Wade says over the weekend the department's resources will be stretched over multiple destinations and events.

ACP Edwardo Wade, Head of Operations
"We'll be putting police officers, more police officers for that matter, in the areas where we will have more people going such as Placencia, the San Pedro area, as well as the other tourist destinations in Belize.

We know also that there will be a number of social activities taking place across the country. We know that we have the Cross Country race which we have already put in place our operational plan where that is concerned, our operational order. We know that in San Ignacio we have the annual Easter fair. In Orange Walk on Easter Sunday there is a big activity taking place at Honey Camp. Likewise in San Ignacio as well we have another activity on Saturday night involving some foreign artist and that same artist as I understand will be performing in Placencia on Easter Sunday.

So you can see that the police as well as well as other enforcement officers or agencies will be very well occupied over this holiday."

And if you hit the road this weekend you'll encounter stationary and roving traffic checkpoints. Terco Galvez from the Traffic department says they'll be cracking down on drunk drivers and overcrowded buses as well as private vehicles. There is also a stern warning for motorbike riders.

Terco Galvez, Department of Transport
"We will be participating in vehicle checkpoints, mobile patrols, focusing on safety aspects. For example, enforcing the alcohol related offenses. The people who are operating motorcycles, that they must be wearing their helmets properly. Wearing their helmets, not just have on their helmets but to have it properly fitted with their eye protection. We will be focusing on overcrowding of buses and we will also be focusing on people who are sitting down on then side of the pickup pans. That will not be allowed."

ACP Crispin Jeffries,
"The law is going into effect strongly as it relates to the helmets, especially on the day of the Cross Country race."

The Port Authority and Coast Guard will be manning the high seas. Gilbert Swazo from the Port Authority says rules will be enforced - especially as they relate to water taxis.

Gilbert Swazo, Belize Port Authority
"We'll also be having overt patrols at various terminals. So even before the boat departs, our officers will be there to ensure that those people using the various water taxis, we will first ensure that those water taxis certainly have the various safety equipment on board and we will also ensure that they do not overload it. So even before they depart out to sea, we will be right there to ensure that people are operating within the capacity of the vessels and that they have the safety equipment."

Lt. Elton Bennett,
"We have identified the area of San Pedro going down to English Caye as one of the locations for boaters and also the area of Dangriga going down to Placencia as second traffic area. The Coast Guard will be deployed out effective today and working throughout the Easter weekend up until next week, ensuring safety out at sea.

We will be patrolling to ensure that the maritime regulations are adhere to by boaters and that we do our best to increase the chance or to ensure safety at sea. I do want to stress for boaters to use the 999 free line, it is very useful. It is a very quick means of getting help out to you. Also there is marine radio channel 16 and this is the most effective means of getting a quick response out to your location."

Throughout the weekend all law enforcement agencies will be distributing brochures with additional safety tips.