Belize Police Department is Ready for a Real Public Relations Makeover

Chester Williams

Admittedly, the Belize Police Department has floundered where its public image is concerned.  According to the top cop, notwithstanding the efforts of its public relations team, the department lacks a dedicated individual whose job is to establish, maintain and improve a favorable relationship between the department and the public.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I think that we do a shabby job when it comes to public relations.  It’s not an indictment on Mr. Yearwood and the team because really they are not public relations.  Their task is to serve as our intermediary with the media.  We don’t have a public relations officer per se, and I think it’s time for us to be able to employ someone to do that for us. Secondly, again, it falls under public relations but oftentimes we see all the negativity about the police on social media and there is always no rebuttal from the police to give the public the police version.  And so, we want to be able to have that as well where it’s not to defend, it’s just to have the public see both sides and then the public can make an assessment having seen both sides in terms of who may be right and who may be wrong.  And if we were to do that, the public would see on many instances that when we are being vilified that we don’t deserve it.  And so again, getting that done is important for us.  In terms of our national crime fighting strategy, I think it’s a very good strategy.  Perhaps, yes, it might need a little bit of tweaking to make it more accommodating to some areas.  But again, while we have the national crime fighting strategy, the different regional commanders do have the authority given to them by the national crime fighting strategy to develop their own local strategy because we can’t expect to put in place a strategy that is going to fit all.”