A number of islanders were recognized with certificates from the San Pedro Police Formation on Wednesday, July 15th , who thanked them for their support and partnership. The event was part of the National Citizen Appreciation Day celebrated countrywide and saw over 250 citizens being recognized. The occasion honoring law-abiding citizens and role models was held under the theme ‘Honoring and Celebrating our Citizens for partnering with us for a safer Belize.’
The program for the day saw appearances by senior officers on morning talk shows, followed by vehicle checkpoints on the island and across the country. Also, there was an Open Day style exhibition outside the San Pedro Police Station.
The public was invited to visit and find out more about what the police is doing and what each department does. This included forensics, traffic, investigative branch and community policing.
Later in the day at 2PM, a short ceremony took place in which recently promoted Assistant Superintendent Basil Reyes addressed the attendees following an invocation by Pastor Clive Welsh.
Superintendent Christopher Noble thanked the awardees for their continued support to the local police department. He commended and invited to continue working closely with the island police. Many of the awardees have been very supportive with island police, and were of great help during the peak of the lockdown caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic. These islanders were not just recognized for being law-abiding citizens and an example to others, but also for their partnership with police and assisting them with services such as maintenance to their assets (vehicles) and even feeding their personnel while on duty along with inmates during the lockdown.
The awardees present receiving their certificate included Murlene ‘Mel’ Spain, Bernard Spain, Clive Welsh, Samuel Gomez, Anna Garcia, Lucy Garcia, Maresha Reid, and Francisco Arceo Sr. Other citizens who were recognized, but were not present included Andrew Ashcroft, Michelle Yam and Enrique Staines.
Following the award ceremony, refreshments were served and attendees mingled for a moment.
The San Pedro Police Formation encourages everyone in the community to work together with them to deter any potential criminal activities on the island. They also thanked all those other good citizens across the island, who continue doing their work for a safer San Pedro Town and Belize.
