Guatemalan cops lend a hand in El Pilar assault

After Sunday’s armed rape and robbery near El Pilar, authorities here said they were looking forward to co-operation from their counterparts across the border. Today that help became a reality when seven police officers, including the police chief, from the Guatemalan town of Melchor de Mencos, paid a visit to Belize. Joined by a team of Belizean cops, led by Superintendent Gilroy Nicholas of San Ignacio, the group visited the crime scene and also crossed into Guatemalan territory where they questioned a number of area residents. While today’s exercise did not result in the arrest of any suspects, it was meant to highlight the concern by law enforcement in both countries and emphasise that the border area will not be a haven for criminals. On Sunday morning a number of vehicles were stopped on the road between Bullet Tree and El Pilar. The occupants, including Belizean and foreign tourists, were robbed at gunpoint and it is believed that several women were also raped by the bandits. A similar assault on a tour bus occurred in May in the same area.