Chubby cops need to lighten up; no offense says minister

[Linked Image] Minister Singh also says he wants to give the Police Department a complete overhaul and that will include officers who are on the heavy side a leaner look. Today he told us that his line last week about "cops with their guts hanging out" was not meant to offend anyone but merely to urge them to lighten up.

Doug Singh, Minister of Police


"It was in context of a whole respect and disciplinary structure that I think policemen must operate under. They must be able to gain respect from the general public and I have heard it out there where people make comments that that policeman couldn't chase me anywhere. Unfortunately it's a problem and there are many reasons for the problem. There are fitness requirements within the Police Department that I do not believe is being exercised or being executed the way it should be. There are good policemen that may not be in the best of shape and there are other policemen who may be not so good that may not be in the best of shape. I'd hate to lose my staff over an issue like that, but I do want to challenge them to improve on that and to a great extent they don't have the kid of resources to do it - to join a gym. They don't have a gym facility to be able to take care of themselves and I am committed to try to do what I can to ensure that those facilities go in place to help to develop the kind of healthy lifestyle that's good for them and good for the department."

Marion Ali

"Right now it's just a criticism. After this, will it be a requirement?"

Doug Singh

"We will have to re-evaluate the process because I'm told that there's a fitness process and then I'm getting yes, it exists. I said is it enforced? I'm going like yes - and then I hear no. So I'm not really sure what the answer is but certainly I need to get to the bottom of it."

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Restoring Belize will take time

[Linked Image]In May and June the Prime Minister, Dean Barrow introduced plans to take back the streets from criminals with a programme called Operation Restore Belize. The objective was to chart a way forward after consultation with various sub-committees, whose jobs will be to monitor and assist in implementing new initiatives in deterring crime. It's is a slow process, says newly appointed Minister of Police, Doug Singh, but is designed to take on a holistic approach that will have long-term effects.

Doug Singh, Minister of Police


"The work is pretty well underway but don't expect to see any immediate results as a result of Restore Belize. Restore Belize is an approach that is multi-pronged. It really seeks to deal with some of the root causes. Restore Belize is not talking about going out and policing he city immediately to deal with criminal activities. It's talking about putting in systematic approaches in place, putting the enabling legislation that will perhaps improve the conviction rate, putting together the restructuring of the Police Department that will build community policing, build the different structures that are necessary to have effective policing."

While the programme will not have any overnight results to reduce crime, the Department has also just been taken in a new recruit that will be mostly dispatched to Belize City to help in fighting the crime wave.

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Belizeans for Justice postpone press conference amidst threats

[Linked Image] Following receipt of a death threat on Tuesday by an executive of the group Belizeans for Justice the newly installed Minister of Police, Doug Singh, gave the organization his assurance that a press conference at the Radisson which was initially scheduled for today would be secured by members of the police department. While the public has expressed its outrage at what most consider to be practice after race, founder Yolanda Shakron says they would not proceed as scheduled despite the minister's word.

Yolanda Shakron, Founding Member, Belizeans for Justice


"We have rescheduled this press conference for next Tuesday at the same time at the Radisson. We have gotten, I have gotten a phone call from the CEO in the Ministry of Police, Mr. Lovell, and he said that he will provide us with security and so we decided that we will have a meeting with the executive this afternoon but I have spoken to everyone and they have decided that we will do it for next Tuesday."

Isani Cayetano

"How do you interpret this situation in light of the fact that it had to be ventilated in the media before the minister and his ministry could step in to provide some kind of security for your event that was scheduled?"

Yolanda Shakron

"I believe that whoever is behind these threats it's coming from, I can't pinpoint but I think it's from within the police department because I believe that they know that we were going to have this press conference and they knew that, you know, we were going to be asking for the removal of Mr. Jeffries."

The press conference which has been deferred until Tuesday of next week will address the escalating crime situation and the organization will present recommendations to reduce the numbers of crime being committed in the city. Among those recommendations is a request for the removal of Police Commissioner Crispin Jeffries.

http://edition.channel5belize.com/?p=35533


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