You all watch television and listen to the radio. This is a problem that must be tackled by all sectors of the society, since it affects us all. For our part, Government is dealing with crime-fighting at different levels. While we are putting more police officers on the streets with better equipment, we are also training more of our law enforcement people, and building the law enforcement capacity of the system. But you must know that the crime situation points to a deeper problem in our society - the breakdown in family structures and family values, an imported culture of materialism, wasted educational opportunities and unemployment problems.
Families are the most important unit in society.
Where families break down, the society breaks down. Our government has put the family first and has put in place various programmes that support the family and combat the erosion of family units in Belize. This project has trained thousands of community leaders and parents in communities countrywide. The Belize City Community Counseling Center provides training support to families. This center has assisted hundreds of families in the past two years.