Government Pledges Additional Financial Resources to Tackle Crime

Dean Barrow

In an attempt to quell fears of further violence, P.M. Barrow has pledged that government will expend whatever financial and material resources necessary to address the ongoing issue of gang-related homicides. The P.M. committed additional funds by way of a financial re-assignment to deal directly with the crime and violence. He announced this afternoon that government is applying for a thirty million dollar loan to bolster the efforts of the Belize Police Department in its fight to arrest the violence.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“Earlier, somebody asked about intelligence and the answer might perhaps have included the fact that intelligence costs and I certainly have said to the head of the GSU that the funds will be available to ensure a continued and accelerated flow of information or intelligence. With respect to material, the question of actual bodies, in terms of boosting up the strike force and the GSU. Well, immediately those must come from reassignments, from the shifting around of other personnel, but certainly in terms of material, if there is a need for additional vehicles, we are going to provide those. If there is a need for additional equipment across the board, we are going to provide those. I believe Mister Wade from Plus TV, I understand that, well I take his point that not everybody in the media and certainly not everybody in the public is familiar with the names of the players in this gang culture. And so perhaps we assume too much in thinking that you would know who Brandon Tillett is and who some of the other players are.”