For the past two weeks, the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament & Development in Latin America & the Caribbean has been training 44 law enforcement personnel in Combating Illicit Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives.

It's been happening at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan and today was graduation day. Officer in charge of the training Academy Linden Flowers told us what they learned and how it will make them better at what they do:

Supt. Linden Flowers - Commandant, Police Training Academy
"The training's effectiveness on the street starts from anywhere the officers from this training are going back within the next couple of days. They will be going back to their work, and it has to do with principles of the importation of firearms and ammunition, as well as identifying explosives that are trafficked across or through our boarders. This will help the customs officer in either of the border stations or the police officers in doing their investigations. They'll be identifying components of firearms, ammunitions and explosives. It has also given them an awareness of the kind of techniques that the elicit traffickers are using in concealing their trafficking trade, and I believe the information they have gain will assist them when they are back in their area of work. They will be able to identify traffickers, and to deter persons trafficking firearms to come into Belize as to use in our local environment, as well as for trans-shipment through onto other parts."

Participants were from the Police Force, the BDF, the Coastguard, Customs, the Forensic Science Service, Scenes of Crime Unit, Airport Security and Prisons.

Channel 7