Crime Observatory Says Belize City Remains a Hot Spot

Adele Ramos

But Belize City remained a hot spot, and the Crime Observatory data is being used to help formulate a multi agency response. Adele Ramos says, however, violence crime prevention needs wider community support.

Adele Ramos, InfoSegura Belize, Project Coordinator & Interim Technical Coordinator, Belize Crime Observatory

“But, where we saw the greatest challenge I think was with respect to violent crimes. Belize has been struggling with this not just today but for over a decade. Gang violence, especially gang violence in the Belize City area in what are known as precincts 1 and precincts 2, and we had the States of Emergencies in 2020 and then we had another phase this year. And what happens is that that a response to what is often deemed to be a situation that needs urgent intervention. Interventions can vary and they need to be multi-sectoral and what we see now is the agencies that can help to address the root causes of crime are being engaged, and need to be engaged even more, and not just agencies but there needs to be a whole society approach because this is not just a problem for the police. This is a problem for all of us.”