Record high murder stats; 141 murders so far in 2012
2012 is winding down and the murder statistics are running up with a record high of one hundred and forty-one homicides so far. The year started slow with only four murders in January, but the numbers quickly started rising. In February ten persons were killed while eight homicides were recorded in March. Then the mayhem started and there were twenty-one murders in April; the deadliest month this year, which was followed by fifteen in both May and June. The second half of the year continued with thirteen murders recorded in July while August and September each had ten. There were thirteen in October, eleven in number and with about a week to go, eleven victims on the list for December.
This year has seen a trend where multiple murders were committed; up to three in several cases with four being the record on November twenty-fifth. Included in those statistics are ten minors and fourteen females, with two year old Kaylee Burgess and thirteen year old Jasmine Lowe falling in both categories.
Looking at the figures by district, the majority of the killings continue to be concentrated in the Belize District, where eighty-seven murders were committed. The other districts are far behind with twenty-one homicides in Cayo, eleven in Orange Walk, ten in Corozal, eight in Stann Creek and four in Toledo.
What re the second place stats? the runners up in this beauty contest?
Attempted homicides, but did not work out, killers be sloppy, victims get lucky.
How do we rate? Are Belizean killers more efficient and effective than Honduras and El Salvador?
With a little effort, our gangsters might reach 150 for the year, a number that was inconceivable not too long ago.
Belize, Belize, oh Belize ! We kill each other everyday with guns but the greater killings come at the hands of politicians who make certain we have no resources to defend ourselves. To wit : we kill ourselves by giving away our retail merchandise industry to Chinese and Indians; we kill ourselves by giving away our Boledo & PUP lotteries to Chinese(this with help of corrupt politicians); we kill ourselves by giving away the citrus industry by giving it away to Barbados; we kill ourselves by giving away our sugar industry (and we pay the buyers with fiscal incentives); we kill ourselves by giving away our agriculture industry to the Mennonites; we kill ourselves by giving away our Banking system to interests in the Caribbean. Belizeans , we continue to kill ourselves by selling the most important Cayes to foreigners; and finally we kill ourselves by allowing fifth columnists in our judicial system and government ministries. Yes we die in senseless drive by shootings but we are killing the entire nation by surrendering our economy,our values , and our institutions. Belizeans, we have to reverse this trend if we want to stop the killings.
Malthus, you’re entirely correct, but it is not the fault of the immigrants you mention. They are just coming to fill a vacuum in business created by a lack of initiative and energy by too many of our countrymen. They are doing the jobs that Belizeans don’t care to do, for reasons I don’t understand. (Granted, some opportunities are stolen from Belizeans by corrupt politicians willing to accept foreign bribes, but that doesn’t account for the hundreds of successful “mom and pop” groceries and other stores operated by immigrants.)
I have been lucky to travel some, and I have seen thriving Chinese restaurants, hardware stores, and the like in almost every remote village in Africa and Latin America. Of course, there are many of them to go look for opportunity, but their culture encourages hard work and pulling themselves by their bootstraps.