Gang-related Crimes are Down in Belize City

There has been a noticeable quiet when it comes to gang violence in Belize City recently. The Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Leadership Intervention Unit, has been working tirelessly with young men across the Old Capital who are involved in gang activity. Last weekend, no incident of gang-related crime was reported and the murder of Desmond Budna in Lake Independence this morning is believed to be the result of a drug deal gone bad. That’s according to Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa, who spoke with News Five about the state of crime and violence in Belize City.

Kareem Musa

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“Last October, we implemented the Leadership Intervention Unit and that has certainly been yielding some dividends.  We have interventions taking place across the city on a daily basis.  You don‘t see the amount of murders that we actually prevent or that Mr. Dawson and his team actually prevent and I think in the last month, we have seen where the murder rate has gone down and we‘re very thankful for that.  I know that this morning we had an unfortunate incident but certainly it doesn‘t seem to be gang-related.  From what I am being informed, it could possibly be a drug-related murder.  But at the same time we still have to be vigilant, not just the Leadership Intervention Unit, but I also want to congratulate the hardworking men and women in the police department who have really intensified their efforts on the ground over the last four months or so and we‘re seeing the results of that and so it‘s multiple approaches that we‘ve been implementing and certainly yielding good success.”