Efforts Continue to Crack Down on Belize City Gangs

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams

Most of the violence in the city has been linked to gang rivalries. Strictly speaking gang affiliation is illegal, but gang members apparently haven’t gotten the memo. Williams told us that it’s an ongoing effort by the Police to keep gangs on their own turf, and it’s a battle that the Police are slowly, but surely winning.

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams, Regional Commander, Eastern Division South

“I would not say that we have completely defused it but we have to some extent neutralized the situation. It will take time to defuse it totally and what we are trying to do is to see how best we can keep the George Street group from out of the Jane Usher Boulevard Area because like you rightly said if they are trying to come in and take over the area then will give them more leverage across Belize City and what we do not want to see is the gang grow. We want the gang to get smaller and not grow so we will continue do whatever we can do to ensure that whichever gang it is that did not grow in number or in size is to see how we can assist in having them reduce in numbers and in size.”

Reporter

“Sir now looking at the number and the police report, on September 21^st at 7:11 Otis Anthony Gladden of Racecourse was shot on West Canal near Burkley Street. Now you know that East Canal, West Canal, Burkley Street and Rocky Road have been the sight of chronic shooting incidents, violence…is this an indication of a resurgence? What does it indicate?”

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams

“I will not say that it is an indication of any resurgence in the case of what use to take place in that area. But as I have always said as well that no matter what policing effort will employ it would never reduce crime totally, crime will always be. What we are doing is to see what is the best way we could reduce the crime situation to keep it at a minimal level. Now in the case of Otis Gladden, that is a situation that the police are still investigating like you rightly said he was walking on the Canal side and was shot, he has not been able to say to us who shot him. Nonetheless what we have done and again as a part of our strategy, when there is a shooting what we do is move into the area and get the intervention team/the mediation team to talk with people to ensure there is no retaliation. And I must say that since we have started this process, every shooting that they have had, there has been no retaliation because we have been very effective in moving in immediately after a shooting.”