…And corruption in the police department is a result of neglect
Equally important among Gayle’s preliminary findings is corruption within the Belize Police Department. That, according to the research, is the result of neglect in the working environment. Over the years the needs of the department have been ignored and in the process officers have not been able to foster healthy relationships with the public.
Herbert Gayle
“Most of the stuff about the police were just way beyond me; levels of corruption high levels of neglect; the police being neglected themselves, which becomes natural—if I’m neglected I’m going to be corrupt. One of the first things that came out on the police was sympathy for them. I would be honest, before we started people were on the street saying do something about the police, them corrupt. You got the impression from everybody that here’s a bunch of guys who are just really out of this world. When you got to know them you realize they were more human than anybody else. They were suffering, poor equipment, poor relationship with other persons, not treated well by other people; just endless amount of problems. And that is something that we’re going to have to sit down with more than anything else and work on.
herbert gayle
We’re now heading towards intervention. As I said to people last year, this study is not about shelving, it’s about applying the research. And so we’re working with restore Belize, we want to look at intervention, we also want to spur people on the ground. Unfortunately I’m extremely busy; I’m in Trinidad, I’m in Jamaica, I’m in Europe doing stuff but I will do everything to come back here as often as possible to help people on the ground establish community cells, whatever they want to do to reach young people. Even though the study is about young boys, it’s also about young girls because there’s a relationship; boys are interested in girls and girls and interested in boys. That is how the specie goes on. So whatever is done to help curb the violence, I will be able to assist and I will actually come and help if I can.”
Ok, so Police corruption is caused by neglect – what about the Government corruption – PUP and UDP??? Surely it’s not because the public, or their parents didn’t give them enough attention whenthey were kids, and budding politicians????????
I can picture it now – Musa/Barrow/Fonseca/Perdome etc. all joining hands during a group concelling session, in tears over their wrong doing, but expecting sympathy because they were so neclegted in the past!!!!!!
Get real – Corruption is fuelled by greed, simple as that. True, the Police are underpaid, but politicians aren’t. Immigration and Customs officials aren’t. They are just greedy, for OUR money!
Why doesn’t someone in some GOB ask for law enforcement training for both police and prosecutors? I know that both the U.S. and Britain have programs to provide exactly that for developing countries, and at no cost.
The people want to improve the police, and I’m sure the average officer would welcome better training. But if the Big Boss doesn’t do his job, it will never happen.
ELECTIONS ARE COMING……………………….
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE……………………..”CROOKS REPORT”
or is that just sitting on a shelf ALSO ??????????????
Red Bear
You are so right, they can ask for help, but the people in positions do not want change, the moment you try to tell them how to make something better, they find a way to fire you or they shut you out. It is happening at the police deparetment, at the prison, the office in London, in all areas of government. This is why the country is in the s—it house it is in. You have to change to stay with the times, Belize has become like the land that time forgot. Try telling a Belizean something needs to change, the first thing they tell you is man lef dat ting so, dat dah how ey always deh.
Red Bear, there is no leadership in the Police Department. I would love to be able to help the department to begin to change their infrastructure. I want my country to become again a place where kids played under the street lights, the time when a murder was big news, and police respected themselves and the people respected them, to be able to sit on yur verandah and steps and not get shot at or killed.