BELIZE CITY, Tues. Mar. 2, 2016–Attorney and Senior Superintendent of Police, Chester Williams, Commanding Officer of Belize City Police Southside, has been promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police. The announcement was made yesterday at a police press briefing held at the Raccoon Street Police Station.

The promotion was made retroactive since July 2015, making it a substantive and confirmed rank, and also making him ready for the next promotion, which is to that of Deputy Commissioner.

ACP Williams said that the rank was long overdue.

Mr. Williams, who was admitted to the Bar in 2015 and is now an attorney after five years of study at the University of the West Indies, was appointed Commanding Officer of Southside Belize City police in July 2015. After his appointment, street violence on the city’s Southside decreased dramatically. Before, there had been 28 Southside murders from January to July in 2015, but since Williams’ appointment, there have been only 8 Southside murders between July and December 2015, compared to 23 Southside murders between July and December of 2014.

As a result of the initiative to combat the street crimes in the Southside, children are now playing in the crime-ridden area of the city, like Kraal Road and other high crime areas.

Amandala had declared Chester Willliams “Man of the Year 2015.”