In an effort to strengthen community policing, the San Pedro Police Department held their first public meet and greet initiative. The initiative saw officers, along with the San Pedro Cadet Corps visiting residents in the Boca del Rio Area on Saturday, October 10th, addressing crime related issues. Throughout the morning, several homes were visited and residents were asked to partake in a small survey on the service provided by the San Pedro Police Department.
Leading the initiative was Deputy of the Coastal Executive Unit, Assistant Superintendent Henry Jemmott. He explained the importance of touching base with the community to reassure that the police are here to serve them. “It is important to maintain a healthy relationship with the community. In order to maintain order and safety in the community, there needs to be a good relationship between the police and residents. Initiatives such as this meet and greet help us get important information from the people, and at the same time, let them know that the police do care about their well-being,” said Jemmott.
A main issue brought up by residents through the meet and greet was response time. Residents indicated that a quicker police response would be very beneficiary in reducing crime rates. “We are glad that the people were willing to not only take the time to listen to what we had to say, but also offer us recommendations and ideas on how to improve. The community needs to see their police officers showing interest and that is what this initiative is all about,” said Jemmott.
San Pedro Police will be holding meet and greets in all the areas of Ambergris Caye.
