Can a Truce Actually Hold?

An armistice between those feuding groups in Lake Independence is nothing new. In fact, over the years, we have covered several initiatives undertaken by the Belize Police Department, through the Mahogany Street Precinct, where both gangs have come together at Christmas time to give back to the community. So will a truce between Backa Lands and PIV actually work?

Isani Cayetano

“One could argue, perhaps from a cynical standpoint, that we’ve tried this several times over with these two particular groups in question and the situation is always so fragile that it only takes one particular incident for things to flare up and go back to status quo.”

William Dawson

William Dawson, Leadership Intervention Unit

“Well, you know, in this type of engagement there is no guarantee.  It’s like you said, a very fragile situation to deal with because something might present itself that gives off the wrong signal that creates a whole disturbance between these parties.  But what we were able to broker with both parties was a ceasefire and the interagency approach is offering assistance in terms of consistency and support for the young men and we want to make sure that we are there meeting with them regularly so that the relationship can build.  We want to build rapport between the different groups and so going forward we are looking at the commitments we have made to meet with each other twice a month, on a regular basis.  I can also tell you that the young men walked away creating a committee amongst themselves, committing to reach out whenever there is an issue arising so that the mediation can take place before violence is the solution.”