The National Auxiliary Police Department held a Tourism Watch Program training at Cayo Espanto Island Resort, located three miles from the coast of Ambergris Caye on Friday, August 17th. The program is designed to train employees on better ways to react to crime situations.
According to National Auxiliary Police Coordinator, Rudolph Orio the Tourism Watch program is a one-day training that is facilitated to business employees, teaching them how to handle certain incidents and improve their safety. “The program is something like the neighborhood watch programs, however, this one focuses more on protecting our tourism industry,” said Orio, “Throughout the day, employees of the resort learn about observation skills, how to react to situations, techniques and much more.” Orio also stated this training is open to all businesses of San Pedro Town, as well as across the country.
Manager of Cayo Espanto Island, Rosita Sturmberg told The San Pedro Sun the training was very informative, and she highly recommends it to other businesses on the island. “It was great training. Everyone in the resort really liked the approach and learned a lot of things,” she said. “With the recent spike in crime on Ambergris Caye, we encourage other businesses to get trained and be prepared.”
Police Constable Juan Chuc, who was also present at the training believes that it is a great initiative by the National Auxiliary Police Department. “The increase in crime in our community is something that all of us should be concerned about. I believe more businesses should take this training to be better prepared in case of any incident.”
San Pedro Belize Tourism Association Chapter Chairwoman Tamara Sniffin was invited as the key note speaker at the end of the training and commented, “This is a great opportunity for business on the island to be better prepared for crime. The program is free and offers valuable information on how to be aware of your surroundings and how best to respond to certain situations. The more businesses who participate in this training the better, together we can serve as a very effective way to deter crime, with all eyes and ears open and aware at all times. I thank Mr. Orio for putting together the Tourism Watch program and congratulate Cayo Espanto for being the first in the country to participate.”
The program is available to any business, at no cost. For more information on signing up for a Tourism Watch Program training, please call Mr. Orio at 602-5932.
