Belize Police Department Honour Female Officers and Staff

It’s Women’s Month and today, a group of female police officers stationed across Eastern Division, were recognised by the top brass of the Belize Police Department for their work at the Queen Street Police Station in Belize City.  Over five hundred female officers are employed with the Belize Police Department which represents just about twenty-five percent of the strength of the department. Following the awards ceremony, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams spoke to the media about equal opportunities afforded to the women police officers. 

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner Police

“Gone are the days where we say that certain tasks within the department is a task for a man and certain tasks are tasks for women. That is no longer the case. Gone are the days when men expect that women would be in the office and bring coffee for them and these sorts of things. Women are out on the streets now hitting the pavement as much as men are. And it is only fitting that now that we are in the month of Women’s Month that we give recognition to the women of the police department. They play a very integral role in the function of the department. The duties of every police man and woman are important to us and should equally be recognised. As I said in my presentation to them that gone are the days where women would feel that they have to work ten times harder than a man for them to be recognised. As the commissioner, I look at police officers equally whether they are man or woman when it comes to promotion. If the woman is doing as good of a job as the man, she will be entitled to promotion or will be promoted. So it is no longer that they have to outshine the man. Those days are behind us.”