"But one of, if not the primary responsibility of government is protection of the public." -- bywarren
Ideally, that SHOULD be the mandate, but with out-of-control crime on the mainland (and spreading), it should be obvious that it is not.
1. Are there any crack houses on SP that you know of?
2. If so, when was the last time it/they was/were raided by police?
Oh, one more question for braata -- Why do you think that is?
"It would seem to me the logic would be to make sure the existing system could be "fixed" to solve the problem before creating another system. We are in more trouble than we realize if government cannot perform its responsibilities."
-- bywarren
The main reason I don't see additional funding as an answer, and this is only my personal opinion, mind you, is that I personally believe that any extra funding you provide to the SP police department will result in that same exact amount deducted shortly thereafter from the GoB budget. Of course, this is only my personal opinion and my two cents worth. But, no, to my mind it doesn't matter how much you whip SP residents on the back to ENSURE they cough up more, there will be no extra benefit to your municipality as a result of it, unless other things change, particularly control of the force.
One another note, one thing which I think could produce some great results in the short term if it were legally allowed would be to increa$e incentive$ for those policemen who excel at their jobs. When our kids do great in school we reward them with money, a laptop, an iPod, whatever, but how does a great Belizean cop get rewarded for a job well done? A plaque? His/her children cannot eat that.
I believe monetary incentives can be great incentives. And goodness knows our policemen could use them. When was the last time you looked at a policeman's pay stub? The problem, though, is still that the GoB controls the police and the paymaster, not the municipality and not the citizens group. And so, if you, Joe Citizen, tries to reward a particular policeman for a job well done, you will end up in jail accused of "bribing" that police man.
Which brings me back again to the suggestion that a private security force which you can control is the best answer.
Last edited by Auxillou Beach Suites; 07/21/08 10:19 AM.
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