At-Risk Youths from Belize City Rounded Up

John Saldivar

The murder statistics are in, and the numbers for this year so far have officially surpassed the figures for the same period in 2013. We probably didn’t need statistics to realize that Belize City is in the grips of increasing violence and gang warfare which seems poised to spiral out of control. We got a clue when BDF were brought back on the streets, and when Police operations intensified in the city. And there’s more. Today Police Minister John Saldivar announced a new, proactive initiative – sort of a reform school for what he calls the worst of the worst of Belize City youths.

John Saldivar, Minister of National Security

“A summer camp that is addressing the worst of the worst, the most delinquent of the delinquents among our youths in Belize City. Today I can tell you that almost sixty of those youths are currently with the BDF personnel in the Cayo District undergoing serious disciplinary and counselling services. The wonderful part for me about this camp though is that these young people were not just taken off the streets. They were not just forced to go to this Summer Camp, they were volunteered to this Summer Camp by their parents. The Police Department targeted these young people as the worst of the worst among those that are causing problems in our society, and when we approached their parents they happily agreed to put them in our care for a period of six weeks to see if we can make a difference in rehabilitating them and changing their lives.”

Brig. General David Jones, Commander, Belize Defence Force

Brig. Gen. David Jones

“There were some youths that you’d say definitely at risk. These are some youths that have already been captured by the gang members. These young fellows from age eleven to age seventeen are already involved in crime, they’re involved in a lot of violence and they’re also using drugs. It’s unfortunate but it’s a reality that our young kids are entrapped by a lot of our gang members already. So these kids…the Police have identified over fifty of them already. They were sent to Camp Belizario last week. And when they initially arrived, because there were two separate groups…when the groups initially arrived, what we’ve noticed is that they immediately segregated themselves into the different gangs around Belize City. So the ones around SSG, the ones in Ghost Town, the ones from George Street…they affiliate themselves and immediately they start to fight with each other, which is the similar scenario that is happening in Belize City now.”