Crooks report on Bz. police department still under wraps

Six months ago, the Ministry of National Security hired an expert to come to the country to conduct a review of the police department. From June second Harold Crooks, a former Superintendent of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and former advisor to Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security, worked closely with the police department and on November thirtieth, he handed over his report titled “A Review of the Belize Police Department.” But since the report has been completed, its contents have been kept under wraps. Sources tell News Five that the report blasted the police and should serve as a wake up call for early reform. News Five’s Jose Sanchez caught up with Minister of National Security, Carlos Perdomo, and asked him what is in the report and if the public will ever get to review the contents.

Carlos Perdomo, Minister National Security
“It was a straight type of analysis so you would expect an in depth report to do both the positive and the critical. And I think it is a good thing that it is critical because it gives us direction as to what we want to strengthen.”

Jose Sanchez
“What areas did the report actually say the police department needs improvement?”

Carlos Perdomo
“Supervision is one that I remember right off the bat; the supervision at maybe the sergeant and corporal’s level. That will include training and all the other things. But what we are doing presently, we are taking the complete report and we have a smaller group looking at it and there were literally dozens of recommendations. What we have to do now is to sit down and see which are doable.”

Jose Sanchez
“Will the entire contents of that report ever be made available to the public?”

Carlos Perdomo
“I will have to ask but I would say that maybe the full report will always be made available but what we will work on will be the action plan that will come out of the full report.”

Perdomo says that his ministry will have a press conference early next year and the areas which are financially viable for the police department will be implemented over the next few years.