There’s a new commissioner at the Belize Police Department. Today, the department held the official change of command ceremony where the former police commissioner handed over the reins to Doctor Richard Rosado. Chester Williams has been with the department for over thirty-three years and served as commissioner for the past six. He exits the post as the longest-serving top cop and the first attorney-at-law to ascend to the role. Williams is now preparing to step into his new position as Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Constitution, Religious Affairs, and Transport. At today’s ceremony, Williams reflected on the department’s accomplishments during his tenure.
Chester Williams, Former Commissioner of Police
“ As I said, policing has been my life. I joined the ranks of the police department at the seventeen coming straight out of a bakery to a police officer. And from then, that is all I know. So it is bitter to the extent that it is what I have been doing all my life. And it is sour because I am leaving and it is sweet. It’s for the simple fact that I now get an opportunity to go somewhere else and see how best I can continue to serve my country. The Ministry of Constitution, Religious Affairs, indigenous Affairs and Transport is a ministry with a lot of responsibilities. We all know that traffic is a problem in this country. We saw the amount of fatalities on our Highways last year, and certainly it is the mandate of IT government to make sure that we don’t have a repeat of last year. And so moving over with Dr. Zab at that ministry is certainly something I welcome. I look forward to doing what we can to address the plague that troubles our commuters. I traverse this country from Punta Gorda to the city to Benque. And on many occasions I see the type of buses on our highways that our commuters have to bear the pain, to ride in the morning, to go to work on the evening, to go home. Many a times we see these buses bruk down on the side of the road, commuters standing outside, waiting for transport to get them to work or get them back home. These are things that need to stop. Your peer for a service is expected that you’ll get good service. And so myself and Dr. Za, we are committed to making sure that the communities of this country get the service that they’re paying for.”
