Photos of the Queen Street Police Station in Belize City from long ago
Let's step back in time and remenisk of a bye gone era in Belize history circa 1950-1959, there's a couple of the building still standing today, it would have been great to have had the administrative wooden building preserved and restored to its original splendor, as you peer unto the yard you can see some of the building that was in from of the police station on Queen Street, there all gone now, unfortunately.
Where the famous Piss House was located. Top photo from 1980.
You had to go to the Police Station in Queen Street to get a small round metal license plate for your bike. It went at the end of the forks on your bike! They had a canteen in the back and an old old jute box was in there. Across the street from it was an ice cream parlor.
My Dad was Commissioner Bruce Taylor from the mid 50’s to mid 60’s. He passed ’Hattie’ at the Queen Street station where a joint command post was established with the US Army. Sergeant O’Rio was the BHPF Radio and Communications specialist. I was at the station that night and heard when Eden Cinema collapsed. Arthur Guy Taylor
The First System of Policing in British Honduras
The State of Belize (known prior to 1973 as British Honduras) gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1981. The British Honduras Police Force became known as the Belize Police Force.
The first system of organised policing came into existence in 1886 when the British Honduras Constabulary Force was formed under the command of Captain D M Allen who had served with the First West Indian Regiment until his appointment. Members of the Force were mainly recruited from nationals of Barbados on five year contracts and trained for appointment in British Honduras. By 1888 the Establishment of the Force was 175 officers and other ranks and they were garrisoned in the towns of Orange Walk, Corozal and Belize City. Command of the Force passed to Mr A E Kershaw in 1888 and as many of the Barbados officers returned home at the end of their contracts a further 100 Jamaicans were recruited. Mr A B R Kay succeeded Mr Kershaw in 1893 and the following year the Jamaicans laid down their arms and were sent back to Jamaica. Mr Kay remained in charge of two units of the Constabulary Force in Orange Walk and Corozal. Meanwhile in Belize City a Civil Police Force was formed under the command of Mr Sydney Gower Woods who voluntarily took office as Acting Superintendent of Police. Douglas Dury Barnes succeeded Mr Woods in 1885 and on the latters death in 1905 Assistant Superintendent Robert Wyatt assumed command of the Force. In 1902 the separate Constabulary Force was abolished and the police adopted the title British Honduras Police Force. By 1920 with the appointment of Mr F J L Cavenaugh and the end of the First World War, the Force was re-organised and British Honduras soldiers returning home enlisted in the Force for the first time. In the years that followed the foundation of the unified Police Force as we know it today as laid and the Force was commanded by a succession of expatriate officers who held the post of Superintendent of Police. In 1931 Superintendent of Police, Major J H SEMPILL was killed in the course of his duties during a Hurricane which devastated Belize City that year. The first Belizean Police Commissioner, Mr. S. A. J. ADOLPHOUS OBE QPM BEM was appointed in 1969.
Source: http://www.belizepolice.bz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&Itemid=275