ACP Howell Gillett, National Commander for the Community Policing Unit
by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Mar. 3, 2025
Eight schools within Belize City participated in the Belize Police Department’s first-ever Drum Line Competition, held at the Berger Field on Friday, February 28.
The friendly competition was organized by the department’s Community Policing Unit for schools from the secondary and primary levels and the department’s cadet drum core to compete musically for first, second, and third place prizes, and bragging rights.
“We intend to achieve a lot, and there are many benefits to be derived by bringing young people in a safe environment where they [can] compete against each other. It’s a crime prevention tool to bring young people from across the different zones within the city to show them you can healthily compete against each other, and that’s one of the things we intend to achieve,” said ACP Howell Gillett, National Commander for the Community Policing Unit.
He added that this effort also serves as a crime-fighting tool to steer the participating children away from a life of crime.
“We’re here to help our young people, showing them there is a better way, an alternative to crime. We don’t want gang members; we don’t want criminals, especially in our young people, so we are trying to stop it from an early age; so that’s why we are doing this for all these schools,” said ACP Gillett.
ACP Gillett mentioned that the drum line competition is the first of many, as they have plans to take the competition to different parts of the country.
Each band consisted of six members.
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