THE THIRD NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH CONFERNCE SLATED FOR TOMORROW IN BELIZE CITY

August 25, 2006

The third annual neighborhood - watch conference will be held tomorrow in Belize City. National Neighborhood Watch coordinator Joe Sampson says this year the conference will be done a bit different.

Joe Sampson:        

“This year we want more involvement from actual active neighborhood watch groups, so we’ll have a brief opening ceremony, in which an address will be given by the commissioner of police and the Minister of State and a Ministry of Home Affairs then we have presentations from different neighborhood watch areas, where individuals will tell us about the work of different neighborhood watch groups all over the country and so that people can get a sense and feel of what is actually happening on the ground and the other half of the day we will be having certain activities, we’ll be having the security exhibitions by the police and the Crime Stoppers. So, people can get a sense of what the efforts being made on the community level and the police level to really deal with the crime situation.” 

There are fifty neighborhood watch committees through out the country. Sampson says the ultimate goal is to have a committee in every neighborhood. We asked Sampson about the effectiveness of these committees in the fight against crime.           

Joe Sampson:

“In the other parts of the country, very successful, in Belize City, obviously it’s not happening that is the reason we’re looking at how we can really address the situation. The nature of neighborhood watch in Belize City, because it is not working in Belize City but other parts of the country; Corozal, San Pedro, Punta Gorda, we have vibrant groups. And even in the Belize District like the Bella Vista area there are people who are really interested and have groups functioning in the areas and we have had like people calling us from as far as like Bermudan Landing asking for neighborhood groups to be established in their neighborhoods. But we have to have people understand that we do not establish neighborhood watch groups, we facilitate. The community must want it, they, they must work at it, and we will come in and facilitate with training, giving information, with lacing and stuff like that.” 

Joe Sampson, national neighborhood watch coordinator. The third annual neighborhood - watch conference will take place at the Gwen Lizarraga High School in Belize City beginning at 9am. Members of the public are invited to attend.

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