59 forest rangers sworn-in as special constables

Posted: Friday, May 25, 2018. 11:58 am CST.

By BBN Staff:  Today, 59 forest rangers of both government and forest co-management agencies were sworn-in as Special Constables following two weeks of intensive training at the Belize Police Academy.

According to a release from the Government of Belize (GOB) Press Office, the training, which began on May 14th, 2018, culminated with forest rangers being sworn-in to exercise greater authority to arrest and seize for forest, protected areas, and wildlife-related crimes.

German Novelo, Key Biodiversity Areas Project Manager, stated that: “the only way we can successfully stem illegal forest activities is by empowering our hard-working forest rangers within our partner agencies with the legal authority to seize and arrest.”

Novelo further added that both the training and swearing-in were essential to strengthening the capacity of both Forest Department officers and its partners to enforce forest laws.

Wilber Sabido, Chief Forest Officer, stated that the training and swearing-in of Special Constables delivers on the Forest Department’s mandate to improve forest management compliance.

The two-week intense training was uniquely tailored to strengthen rangers’ knowledge and skills to effectively enforce all aspects of green-laws legislations, such as the Forest Act, Wildlife Protection Act, and the National Protected Areas System Act, and other legislation.

The participants learned how to use a broad range of innovative and specialized law enforcement techniques, such as investigative skills, search and seizure skills, and gathering court evidence, through extensive mock-drills and simulation exercises.

“The training also exposed forest and wildlife officers and rangers to a wide range of tools and services available through partnering with other law enforcement agencies to respond to illegal forest crimes. Additionally, the training emphasized continued inter-agency collaboration and inter-departmental coordination in law enforcement activities, essential to combat forest and wildlife crimes, the release further added.

The Forest Department will now formally establish its Compliance Monitoring Unit to strengthen monitoring and enforcement countrywide.

According to the GOB press release, the Special Constable Training was funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment, Sustainable Development, and Climate Change through the Key Biodiversity Areas Project, in close cooperation with the Forest Department and the Belize Police Department.

The Key Biodiversity Project is a government-led project to improve Belize’s natural resources management through capacity building, monitoring, enforcement and other community-based initiatives, implemented with the help of the World Bank.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-601-0315.

© 2018, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.