“Let’s work together to stop murderers.” That is the echoing call from Commissioner of Police Chester Williams after spending three non-stop days of activity in western Belize last week. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams met with residents of Benque Viejo del Carmen at the Cancha Marshalleck on Thursday night, a few hours after a grueling tour near several western border points and just one day after having similar meeting in San Jose Succotz. He was accompanied by his operational commanders, such as Marco Vidal and Lynden Flowers, Police Commander for the Western Region.
ACP Marco Vidal is the Director of Operations, who works from the Belmopan Police Headquarters while Lynden Flowers is in charge of Police in Belmopan, San Ignacio and Benque Viejo.
In his brief to the over 200 Benque residents, Commissioner Williams revealed that bandits have been stealing motor vehicles in Succotz and had been fleeing through Arenal. The driver of one such vehicle had passed through the Arenal checkpoint and had fired at security personnel there. Belizean authorities were now working with their Guatemalan counterparts to recover the vehicles, but it will take some time since Guatemala has a different set of legal procedures.
Investigators have since learned that while these bandits are from Guatemala they are being abetted by locals in or near Benque. There is also a Belizean now living in Guatemala, who is assisting the bandits. Police are working with the Guatemalan authorities to get the Belizean back unto Belizean soil “so we can deal with them” said Williams.
Superintendent of Police Diana Hall, who is in charge of the Benque Police Formation, had also told reporters on Thursday that in the first two incidents there were two masked men with shot guns and in the other three, there were three Hispanic persons with short arms. These persons, (two Guatemalans and a Belizean) would come into the neighborhoods to take photographs of the target vehicles. The ring of culprits would then take the vehicles to the Guatemalan side where it was being dismantled.
“The Benque Viejo formation has seen five reported incidents where four vehicles and one motorcycle were stolen in the Succotz area too: a motorcycle and a pickup and on the Arenal Road, we had two pickups that were stolen one at 10 1/2 miles on the hydro road. One at 1.5 miles on the hydro road and 3 1/2 miles on the hydro road,” she said.
In his dialogue with Benque residents on Thursday night, Commissioner Williams also shared some of his concerns. “I have an issue with public drinking,” he said under the loud bangs of fireworks near the Cancha.
“Almost every time we have a murder and we ask the question where was it… on the street corner, they were drinking or socializing,” he further explained, after being informed of the regular public drinking of alcohol at the Centennial Park in Benque Viejo Town.
Then there was the pressing problem of drivers in vehicles with tinted windows going about Town. Commissioner Williams said that no public transport should have tinted windows. He explained that the law requires that there is the employment of tint meters to enforce the law on tinted windows; however, vehicles that have their entire windshield tinted require no such device.
The residents of Benque participated fully on Thursday night voicing their concerns on the need for better communication with the police, more lighting and bushy lots. The Mayor of Benque Marconi Sosa has been asked to assist with the cleaning of bushy lots where thieves can easily hide their wares.
Mayor Sosa informed residents at the Cancha that efforts will now be made to obtain 195 additional public lights from BEL. Some 200 lights have already lit up the new areas, he said.
The Belize Police Department is now actively engaging the public to form neighborhood watches and to join in their special constables on patrol programs. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams also explained to Benque residents that neighborhood watches can consist of seven members. He suggested that they have monthly meetings and be connected via the internet based messaging application, Whatsapp. While the Citizen on Patrol Program is voluntary, he counseled, citizens can for example do three hours checking the diary at the police station or patrol with the police. In the Volunteer Special Constables, police accept persons with good character who are then trained for two weeks. These Volunteer Special Constables have the power of arrest, but do not act on their own since they will be accompanied by police officers. “These are programs that we can get off the ground,” said Commissioner Chester Williams.
The meeting on Thursday ended with the mantra that security is everyone’s business.
There have been a number of actions that have been taken to allay the fears of Western residents. On Thursday deep trenches were dug up in several of the tributaries between Belize and Guatemala. The alternative route between San Jose Succotz and Benque was also closed. Police shared that they now also have to focus on the Calla Creek and Bullet Tree tributaries that feed into Guatemala and where bandits may find recourse.
Police have since stepped up patrols in Succotz and Benque. The Police Department has now incorporated three motorcycle patrols in Succotz while also concentrating in the Benque area.These patrols are being complemented with the Belize Defense Force. The Succotz Police substation is now hosting four additional police officers and by next week another officer will join in. Four more police officers will be posted in Succotz in February of next year when a further set of police recruits graduate.
During an over thirty minute live show on Millennium Radio 105.5FM on Thursday morning, Commissioner Williams told his guest that Police need to respond to the public professionally. “The people of Succotz are angry and in a state of fear or panic and rightfully so,” he said. It is now the duty of the Law Enforcement Authority to restore a sense of safety and security he also said.
“Benque remains the safest Town in the Country,” said Commissioner Chester Williams.
Commissioner Williams, along with his Senior Command had also held a “community meeting” at the Succotz R.C. School ground, in the village of Succotz on Wednesday night. Over four hundred villagers were in attendance, supporting and sharing their questions, concerns and suggestions. Also, in response to the request of the people in the deep communities of the Cayo District, on Thursday, COMPOL Chester Williams and his Senior Officers visited the areas and Police Sub Stations of San Jose Succotz, Benque and Arenal.
Earlier this month the head of Elito Puc, a former educator was found in the Adjacency Zone. A male resident from Succotz is also now recovering from trauma when three armed men barged into to his home, tied him up as well as his wife and fled the scene with his vehicle.
For a greater security measure, there has been a suggestion for a checkpoint at the Hydro Road Junction near Benque. But that area has no cell phone or radio coverage. Already, a donor has stepped in and is willing to construct a checkpoint in that area, which will also protect security personnel from the elements. Those security personnel will then need to harness the strong signal from Tigo Guatemala to send WhatsApp messages to the Benque Police Station.
Coordinated patrols by the Belize Defense Force and their Guatemalan counterparts, along various border points have always been taking place. But this time such patrols have begun in earnest. Also too, the management portfolio at the Benque Police station was boosted on Thursday by the addition of a top ranking officer from Belize City, who understands well the dynamics of the gang culture and their modus operandi.
