Ten Belizeans Receive Scholarships Through Community Policing Unit

Ten young Belizeans are getting a major boost this year thanks to a scholarship program that’s helping them stay in school and off the streets. The initiative, led by the Community Policing Unit and its partners, covers everything from tuition and uniforms to books, so students can focus on their studies without worrying about the costs. We caught up with ACP Howell Gillett, head of the Community Policing Unit, who shared his excitement about the program and its impact. One of the recipients also spoke with us, clearly proud and grateful for the opportunity.

 

ACP Howell Gillett, Commander, Community Policing Unit

“These children are not sponsored by anybody, so we have to go out and find them and ’cause maybe they would not have been able to continue their studies and we want more children in schools. Many studies have been done and it shows that the longer a child stays in school. The lower the chances are of that child becoming a criminal or being involved in criminal activities. So for us at the community policing unit and at the Belize police department, we are helping on getting as much children as we can to go to school or to continue school. It is the finest way of any crime fighting measure. It’s preventative, it’s strategic. So we feel so good today. We are thankful to all the sponsors.  We are thankful to our community policing officers who went out and saw a need for these children. We, it’s a pity for us that we cannot do all the children, but it comes at the cost. But we are doing the very best we can. And we hope that with this interview and others, other community members will see that it is so important, and they will join us in getting more children enrolled in schools.”

 

Ima Pitts, Scholarship Recipient

“The scholarship  from the Belize Police Youth Cadet Corp has helped me a lot to take my mind off of the fees from school and to help me focus on getting good grades and trying to be better for my mom and for my school and my grades.”

 

Reporter

“Are you excited to go to a new school?”

 

Ima Pitts

“A little bit. It’s a new change and I’m ready for it.”

 

It’s all part of a bigger push to invest in Belize’s youth and build safer, stronger communities, one student at a time.