Police reorganize Eastern Division

Monday, July 6^th, 2015. Aaron Humes Reporting: On the heels of a triple murder weekend in Belize City, the Police Department this afternoon announced an already planned reorganization of the entire Eastern Division which essentially is all of the Belize District. It involves a return to command for a former star of City policing that stepped aside to obtain a degree in law.

After five years in Barbados and Jamaica, Senior Superintendent of Police Chester Williams is back in khaki and dark blue, as one of three bosses who will report to the ultimate boss, Commissioner Allen Whylie.

Sr. Supt. Williams and Supt. Alden Dawson, who previously worked together when Williams led Crimes Investigation Branch (CIB), now lead South Region including Precincts 1 and 2; ACP Dezerie Philips, former O.C. (Eastern Division), and Sr. Supt Alford Grinage are in charge of North Region and Belize City Precincts 3 and 4, as well as San Pedro and Caye Caulker; while Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster leads the Belize Rural division which is the rest of mainland Belize District.

No one is being demoted – these posts are for senior officers at assistant commissioner and senior superintendent. But behind the re-organization, according to Williams, is a sincere desire to bring change to Belize City. While there is no big talk of eliminating crime altogether, the cop with nearly twenty-five years of service says he can and will bring it down.

How? By implementing the re-organized policing strategy which sees an emphasis on community policing, better distribution of resources, lesser emphasis on quality of life crimes – with which the Department will soon be working with the Belize City Council to establish a ticketing system – and an introduction of targeted crime analysis patterns that will hopefully to predict the criminals’ movements and stop them in their tracks.

According to Sr. Supt. Williams he will have no tolerance for police brutality and mistreatment by officers under his command, and will re-emphasize community policing with the assistance of the press.