Island police officer recognized as Officer of the Year for San Pedro

Woman Police Constable (WPC) Kristy Novelo was recently selected as officer of the year for the San Pedro Police Formation. The island-based police officer was recognized for outstanding performance, arrests, conduct, and good work ethic.
An award ceremony organized by the Belize Police Department was held in Belize City on Friday, December 15th, where police officers from other police stations across the country were also selected as officers of the year. In San Pedro, the heads of the police station, Assistant Superintendent Egbert Castillo, and Inspector Darwin Serano, are very proud of WPC Novelo’s recognition. The commander of Region Four, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, and Superintendent Alejandro Cowo accompanied Novelo to the award ceremony and shared the moment with the young police officer, congratulating her for her dedication and a job well done.
PC Novelo shared with The Sun that she was honored to receive this award. “My dedication did not go unnoticed,” she said. “For it to be my first year here on the island and already being named officer of the year is a great feeling.” Novelo, an island girl, enlisted in the National Police Training Academy on May 16, 2021. She successfully graduated as a police officer on December 17, 2021. Novelo served in special operations for some time in Belize City before being transferred to San Pedro on November 1, 2022.
The Belize Police Department stated that these awards serve to highlight the work of the national police force. The department takes this opportunity to appreciate and recognize the hard work of the police officers, as sometimes their work is not noticed. As such, events like these bring to the public’s attention the excellent work the police formations are doing across the country. The Belize Police Department maintains that they continue working to build their police officers because policing is not necessarily just the training alone. The department noted that it is about the willingness and putting in the work that makes police personnel proficient at what they do.
The San Pedro Sun congratulates PC Kristy Novel on her recognition and wishes her all the best in her policing career.