ComPol Williams Speaks on Shootings in San Pedro

Chester Williams

Crime stats indicate that for over a year, there has been no major crime reported on the island of Caye Caulker. But on neighbouring Ambergris Caye, San Pedro Town is reporting criminal activity over the last few days. Within forty-eight hours, two persons were injured in separate shooting incidents in the San Mateo and DFC areas of the island town. It is concerning, to say the least, and ComPol Chester Williams told News Five today that he has been in contact with the Coastal Executive Officer Superintendent Christopher Noble as they get down to the bottom of these crimes.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We have seen a significant decrease in criminal activities coming out of San Pedro and that is attributed to the good work of the police. And yes now I can say that over the past few days, we have seen a couple of shootings and myself and Mister Noble have been in direct communication trying to find ways to address those issues.  We did find out that the players in at least one incident are from the mainland and so we are looking at what can be done. I know we have certain things planned – I am not going to divulge to the public at this time – but Mister Vidal is in the picture with Mister Noble and I want to assure the people of San Pedro that the police department is going to do what we need to do to ensure that there is that semblance of peace on the island. We do understand the fragile nature of the tourism industry, especially now where we are trying to rebound, having suffered the effects of COVID-19, the last thing tourists would want to hear is we are going to a place where crime is on the increase. And so in order to ensure that we continue to make the island and the country attractive for tourists, we need to make sure that the safety of the people and the safety on the island of Ambergris Caye is at the best.”