Is Crime in Belize Just Another Political Football?
The unabated murders reported across the country over the holiday weekend have resulted in both political parties pointing the finger at each other. While the Briceño administration is responsible for the safety and wellbeing of all Belizeans and visitors alike, the crime situation remains a perennial issue. Tonight, we begin by looking at the violence that plagued the New Year’s weekend from a political perspective. The Minister of Home Affairs, as well as the Leader of the Opposition, weigh in on the chronic issue of corruption within the Belize Police Department and what can and is being done to purge law enforcement of rogue officers. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
The ceaseless and intense spate of gun violence that took hold of the citizenry over the New Year’s weekend has left in its wake numerous questions. The safety of the general public is once again being called into question, as the Belize Police Department reels from the alleged involvement of one of its own in arguably the most unsympathetic act of violence to be exacted upon an unsuspecting family. The murders of American national J’Bria Bowens, brothers Jon and David Ramnarace, Lionel Budna, Hilberto Martinez and Michael Williams, all under different circumstances within a span of four days, are serious cause for concern.
Shyne Barrow
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“The opposition has been criticizing the government, rightfully so, about citizen security for quite sometime, not that we want the government to fail in this regard, because all of us become victims when the government fails. My issue is the government’s and in particular the Minister of Police and his commissioner, the refusal to accept criticism and to accept their weaknesses and their failures.”
It is often easy to criticize the efforts and shortcomings of a ruling party when in opposition. It is equally difficult to accept counsel from an opposition that has had three consecutive terms in office, ample time that could have been used to meaningfully address the scourge of crime and violence that continues to affect Belizeans.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“I find that it is all about opportunism for the opposition because, if you would recall, we had actually engaged with them when it was that we went to Kolbe Foundation, I believe it was in early 2021, I invited the Leader of the Opposition to come. And it all starts off wonderful, you know, the cooperation is great, but the moment something goes wrong, they are quick to jump at you and criticize you instead of offering solutions. And so, they had thirteen years in government and you need to look at those statistics and see if that’s who I need to lean on as advice because their statistics are far worse than what we had for 2022.”
Notwithstanding the blame game immediately following an unchecked series of violent occurrences such as the string of murders witnessed this past weekend, the reality is that the Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for ensuring the safety of all Belizeans and visitors. In the same way, it is also tasked with making sure that bad actors within the ranks of law enforcement are dealt with accordingly.
Lionel Budna
Kareem Musa
“Kindly reflect and think if it were John Saldivar or Michael Peyrefitte sitting in this seat whether Elmer Nah, after being found innocent in his tribunal, would he not have been reinstated? Ask yourself whether an Assistant Commissioner of Police, [Marco] Vidal, would he still be in his seat today. I think that what we inherited is not the best thing ever, but we have, like the commissioner said, good officers and we will make do with what we have and at the same time go through the process of ridding ourselves, of cleansing ourselves of the types of officers that have eroded confidence in the public for so many years. This is not the UDP.”
J'Bria Bowens
Indeed, it isn’t, for better or worse. What is certain is that there are rogue officers in the police department and many of those bad actors remain, despite the change in political tides.
Shyne Barrow
“I am courageous and bold enough to applaud the police department for the swift action taken to apprehend the culprits, both in the San Pedro murder and the Belmopan murder. We applaud that in the opposition, however, the commissioner and the minister have to accept that there is endemic corruption within the police department.”
When asked by a fellow reporter whether the police department enables or creates a breeding ground for rogue cops, the response given by the Commissioner of Police leaves a lot to be desired.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I don’t know when you are going to drop this stupid narrative. You constantly conceive things in your head for your own benefit. You have good reporters, right? If one of your reporters were to go and do something out there that you don’t sanction, should you be held accountable for it?”
Reporter
“Yes.”
Ramnarace Brothers
Chester Williams
“Yes, you should be? You’re sure that’s the answer you want to give. So have you not have people who work with you that you have eventually become disappointed in or been around you?”
Reporter
“That’s the nature of every human interaction.”
Chester Williams
“Exactly. So what’s the issue… You consistently try to push a narrative just to try to make the police department look bad.”
That reply is also being met with strong criticism from the United Democratic Party.
Shyne Barrow
“I was taken aback by the audacious, dismissive response of the commissioner that tried to downplay the systematic problem that produces a domestic terrorist like Corporal Nah. And this is what the opposition is demanding, that the government, the Minister of Police, the ComPol, put in place stricter, if there are policies, if there are watch guards, if there are oversight mechanisms to stop the Elmer Nah’s before they wreak havoc on our society.”
So what is the opposition’s strategy for resolving such a difficulty? That’s what I asked Leader of the Opposition Shyne Barrow earlier today.
Isani Cayetano
“What would you propose to be a workable solution here, because oftentimes it is easy for the opposition to chide and criticize the party in power, but in terms of finding something that actually works, what would your party have to offer?”
Shyne Barrow
“Endemic corruption within the police, it starts there. We can’t say that Corporal Nah is an isolated case. Yes, there are many police officers that are outstanding, that are heroic, no doubt about that. I work with the police closely. So this is not a condemnation of the entire police department, but there is a cancer within the department and so it starts there because how do you get the guns off the streets. How do you get the bad man off the streets when the police is the bad man. In the case of Elmer Nah, he is worse than any bad man I could think of.”
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
