Jones Vs Rosado; Is there a Rift in the Belize Police Department?

As we reported earlier this week, Deputy Commissioner of Police Bart Jones wants D.C.P. Doctor Richard A. Rosado’s appointment date squashed. Through his attorney, D.C.P. Jones has filed an application seeking judicial review against the Security Services Commission’s decision to appoint Doctor Rosado to the post as Deputy Commissioner of Police. The claim is that the July first 2021 appointment should be nullified because at the time there was no vacancy and Doctor Rosado did not meet the necessary promotion requirements. Jones feels jilted, claiming that Doctor Rosado’s appointment stripped him of the seniority that he had over D.C.P. Rosado.  Now this matter will be heard before Justice Genevieve Chabot on Friday, but does it create a rift within the department? ComPol Chester Williams commented on the situation and here’s what he had to say.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We have to understand that we are living in a more litigious society. We have more and more lawyers; in some cases, some have nothing to do. People are more educated, they know their rights and based on that, we are seeing litigation taking place even for things that in the past people would not even dare bother to litigate. As a citizen of this country and as a police officer, Mister Jones does have a right if he feels that his rights have been violated or he was unfairly dealt with in a certain manner, he has a right to take the matter before the courts and let the courts decided whether or not his claim is one that has merits or if it is frivolous or vexatious. I can tell you that working with both Mister Jones and Mister Rosado they seem to have a very good relationship in terms of respecting each other. I don’t see any animosity between them and I expect moving forward that that is going to be the case. Whatever the outcome of the case is going to be, we are not going to allow that to distract us. We have a mandate before us that we must carry out and we are going to ensure that the mandate is carried through to the best of our ability. I was the one who wrote the recommendation for Doctor Rosado’s promotion. And when your news director had interviewed me in 2022 – I think that was in February of 2022 – I had said to him that I support Mister Rosado’s promotion so I don’t know how you arrived at me opposing his promotion. I have no axe to grind between the two gentlemen. I have no difficulty working with both of them; as a matter of fact, as the captain of the ship, I am the one who have to make sure that they stay together. And I always believe in choosing peace over violence; and unity over division.”