In a recent meeting amongst heads of various Neighborhood Watch groups on the island, Officer in Charge of the San Pedro Police Department Superintendent Luis Castellanos, indicated that they have identified teenagers as being the cause of a recent increase of crime on the island. Their conclusions stem form footprints found at crime scenes, modes of entry at home invasions and eye witness accounts.
Teenagers as young as 15 years old (and younger) have been identified by the San Pedro Police Department as being the culprits of a recent increase in crime this past month, January 2014. Castellanos says that they know who some of these teenagers are and the department is working on apprehending them. The heads of the Neighborhood Watches suggested a possible curfew to target teenagers out during the late hours of the evening. A second factor attributing to a slight increase in crime in January, says Castellanos, would be the department's lack of patrol vehicles.
Superintendent Castellanos indicated that the major areas of concern with an increase in crime are the DFC Area and Town Core, with a recent spike in North Ambergris Caye; crime is relatively low in the southern part of the island. And on a positive note, four new police officers have been added to department with works continuing on the new police barracks, but more donations and assistance is needed from the community for it to be completed as soon as possible.
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