Tourists say they were unfairly detained

In February two tourists were detained at the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport after allegedly not paying a bill at San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. According to information News Five received at the time from police sources, the couple was prevented from leaving on their Miami flight and taken to the Ladyville Police Station where they paid the bill. However, today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs forwarded a copy of a complaint filed by the couple to Belize’s Embassy in the United States. Laurie and William Hall say not only did they prove at the airport that they had already paid the bill but they allege they were embarrassed and mistreated by airport security. The couple says because they missed their flight they had to overnight in Belize City. The Halls say that when they were first questioned by airport personnel they immediately produced a receipt for three hundred and fifty U.S. dollars paid to Moncho’s Golf Cart Rental Agency in San Pedro. However, instead of having the matter dropped, the couple claims the airport security made a call to San Pedro and were told that the receipt was invalid. They claim they were made to wait in a dark room at the airport until they were taken to the Ladyville Police Station. They say that Ladyville police resolved the issue and verified with San Pedro that a mistake had been made and the bill had been paid but not entered into the computer. Laurie Hall says the resort offered to pay for their overnight stay in Belize since they had missed their flight but all their other travel arrangements had to be changed at their own expense. News Five spoke to Enrique Hoare of the B.A.A. who said it was not airport security which dealt with the Halls, but Special Branch Police officers who are assigned to the Philip S.W. Goldson. He says because the officers were not in uniform the Halls probably assumed they were airport security. Hoare says the couple should never have been detained and that a copy of their receipt should have been faxed to the hotel in question. If they could not verify it the matter should have been left to the courts to decide. He says as a result of this unfortunate episode the Airports Authority has decided that only uniformed security officers will handle such matters in the future. News Five contacted Inspector Guerra of Special Branch who told us he has not received any complaints about the incident and that the officer at the airport was acting on the request of the establishment at San Pedro. Since he was a junior officer and the only one on duty at the time he requested assistance from Ladyville police and there was some delay before they arrived. Inspector Guerra says that as soon as Ladyville police verified that the couple’s story was true they were released. He says the officer at the airport has been told he must call his superior immediately if such a case should arise again to ensure that tourists are treated as fairly as possible.