PEACE program concludes

by Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Fri. Oct. 25, 2024

The Belize Police Department concluded its Positive Engagement And Civic Education (PEACE) Training Program at the National Police Training Academy in Belmopan on Friday, October 25.

The program’s mission is to equip the participating officers with the tools and knowledge essential for building strong community relationships. The program started in 2023 through its GREAT initiative – Gang Resistance Education And Training Instructors’ Course – as a way to deter children from becoming delinquent or being recruited by criminal groups.

“We live in a society where many of our young people have lost their way. While some look to the police for solutions to these problems, we are saying that the problems stem further than the police,” said Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams.

“Traditional policing says that we are reactive in the scene that we activate when a person commits an offense against the law. Modern policing says that we must be proactive, and so we see a shift from traditional policing to modern policing strategies, and those modern policing strategies encompass the police doing a lot of social work,” he added.

“Children are among the most vulnerable to fall prey to these criminal groups. This is witnessed by the detained minor who was armed and participating in criminal activity in the last State of Emergency. The children that you are training will be the future of this country. Therefore, investing in their education will contribute significantly to shaping and improving the security panorama in Belize,” said Nicole Heydari, INL Coordinator.

34 police officers completed the program.

(AMANDALA Ed. Note: About “INL”, the web site 2017-2021.state.gov says, “The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) works to keep Americans safe at home by countering international crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad.)