Leadership Shake-ups, But Duty Remains

Change at the top has become the norm for the Belize Police Department. Over the last two years, the department has seen multiple leadership changes, and only two weeks ago a new minister and CEO were appointed to lead the police. For the officers on the ground, that kind of turnover is hard to miss. So how is the instability in leadership affecting the morale of the members of the Belize Police Department? We asked ASP Stacy Smith for her thoughts.

 

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“I don’t know if I can be conclusive as it relates to the morale without getting their mandate or their input and going on the record, but what I can say with a level of confidence is that as police officers it does not matter who is at the helm of the ministry, our duty as police officers, our mandate remains, many of us join the department before some of these persons even have political aspirations, so it is not done to appease whatever political official is at the helm. It is our duty. Our duty remains irrespective of who is in charge of the ship or who is at the helm of the ministry. Certainly the commissioner of police plays an important role in the leadership of the department. But, an aspect of Commissioner Rosado that I truly embrace and admire is his ability to integrate leadership from different spheres. Though he is at the helm, he recognizes that an organization needs the input of persons who may not even be at the helm or leadership positions. So, I often see him often meeting with the Police Association which has a more closer, unfettered communication with the vast majority of the department. So he is certainly always looking for ways to improve the morale of the members of the department.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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