Belize Police Department
| Belize Police Department | |
|---|---|
| Common name | Belize Police |
| Abbreviation | BPD |
Patch of the Belize Police Department
|
|
| Motto | Working in Partnership with the community for a better Belize |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1886 |
| Employees | 1,255 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Belize City |
| Sworn members | 1,073 |
| Unsworn members | 141 |
| Elected officer responsible | John Saldivar, Ministry of National Security |
| Agency executive | Allen Whylie, Commissioner of Police |
| Facilities | |
| Stations |
Area Headquarters: 5 Division Headquarters: Stations: Recruiting Centres: |
| Website | |
| Official Site | |
Area Headquarters: 5 Division Headquarters:
Stations:
Law enforcement in Belize is conducted by the Belize Police Department headed by a Commissioner and headquartered in Belize City.
The Belize Police Department is descended from the British Honduras Constabulary (BHC), which was established in 1886. Constabulary personnel initially numbered 141 and were recruited in Barbados because local men showed no interest in enlisting. The government assigned the early police the task of preserving law and order in the colony. The Constabulary was at first a paramilitary force, but in 1902, it was made into a civil police force.
The constabulary was reorganized after World War I, when soldiers returning from service abroad (as well as several Barbadians and Jamaicans) joined the force. The force was reorganized again in 1957, when its first commissioner of police instituted modernizing reforms that resulted in the force's present form. During the colonial period, expatriate officers filled all senior posts in the police. But with self-government and then independence, more Belizeans assumed positions of authority. The official name of the force was changed to the Belize Police Force in 1973,later the word Force was changed to fit the new vision of the Police and it is now known as the Belize Police Department. In the early 1990s, the commissioner and all senior police officers were Belizeans.
In 1991, the force, which was part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, was the sole organization responsible for policing the country and for managing regular immigration matters. A commissioner of police headed the force. The governor general appointed the commissioner with the concurrence of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition. The commissioner exercised operational and disciplinary control over the police force.
The police force had an authorized strength of approximately 500, a ratio of about three police to every 1,000 inhabitants. Police operations were divided into three territorial divisions: Eastern, which included Belmopan and Belize City; Central; and Western. The force had a small maritime element that operated six shallow-draft motorboats capable of patrolling coastal waters frequented by smugglers.
The force was also divided into three operational branches: General Duties, Crime Investigation, and Tactical Service. The Tactical Service, formed in 1978, assumed the nonmilitary responsibilities of its predecessor, the Police Special Force, which was incorporated into the BDF.
The police underwent training at the Police Training School in Belmopan. In sixteen-week programs, recruits studied general police duties and procedures, criminal law, evidence, traffic management, and firearms. Senior police officers attended a ten-week command course run by the British police in Britain. There were a small number of women police in the force, and the first woman was promoted to the rank of inspector in 1989. All personnel were subject to transfer anywhere in the country.
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Wikipedia