P.S.B. says police not to blame for adult teenagers’ contraband beer

A Christmas party for members of the Youth Cadet Corps in Pomona Valley on Sunday continues to raise serious questions.  A photograph showing a trio of teenage girls, each posing with a can of contraband Brava beer, has gone viral on social media, particularly since the event was being held for its young participants.  While police say that the three partygoers are all of legal age, just how they ended up with bootleg booze at a police event is anyone’s guess.  Today, the explanation given by the Professional Standards Branch raised further questions despite an internal investigation being launched into the matter. But it is safe to say that the optics looks pretty bad for the law enforcement agency. Assistant Commissioner of Police Chester Williams provides the details of the investigation to this point.

ACP Chester Williams, O.C., Professional Standards Branch

ACP Chester Williams

“In respect of that matter, I must say that the commissioner and the senior management of the police department were very disheartened about what we saw when the picture first came on Facebook.  As a result of that, the commissioner had directed that an investigation be conducted into that matter.  The investigation has not yet been completed but from what we have gathered so far is that the three females in question, two are eighteen years of age and one is nineteen and we have verified that through their social security cards.  Also, what we have confirmed is that on December seventeenth which was Sunday of last week, there was a police cadet party at a venue in Pomona Village.  The party for the police cadet was attended by the cadets and their parents.  No cadet was there without parent.  Every single one of them had their parent with them and prior to the police cadet party, there was another function at the same location and the three females in question who are in the photograph, none of them is or have ever been a member of the police cadet.  They went there to assist in serving at the cadet function and apparently after the party was over and they were doing the cleaning, they saw the cans in the trash and they picked it up and they posed with it.  Unfortunately, in front of the police banner and one of them, I guess trying to prove a point to maybe friends or whatever, posted it on social media to give the impression that they were drinking Brava beer.  We are still trying to ascertain who those persons were who had the function prior to the police and you would know that Brava beer is not sold in Belize, so it is contraband and then we can see how we can move forward with that investigation.  So that is where we are at this time where that matter is concerned.”

Isani Cayetano

“Forgive me for seeming to be cynical here sir, but it seems very romantic.  It seems very, very romantic.”

ACP Chester Williams

“Sometimes Mr. Cayetano, the truth is not easily acceptable and my duty here is not to paint a pretty picture of something but rather to be truthful about what has transpired and I can assure you, if I had any iota of evidence that police were involved in the consumption of contraband at that location, believe you me, based on what instructions I had been given by the commissioner, they will be dealt with.  But so far, we have not unearthed anything to suggest that the police were involved in the consumption or distribution of contraband beer at that location.”

Back in November, a duo of police constables was investigated by the P.S.B. for having taken nude photos of male cadets on a camping trip.  They faced disciplinary charges.