The Easter holidays are a few days away so the Gang Suppression Unit is busy. Before sunrise this morning, their focus was in one of the city’s hotspots, the George Street area. The first search was conducted at twenty minutes to five o’clock at the home of thirty year old Kareem Westby, a reputed member […]
Last week, among the stolen and illegal items raked in during a sweep of hot zones in the City, was a high powered weapon, known to be used mainly by the US Military. The list included everything from power saws, fake parcels of cocaine, hand guns, homemade guns and even an M18-A1 Anti personnel mine. […]
In the fight against drugs, last year News Five joined the Belize Defence Force as they destroyed a marijuana plantation in a field in the Orange Walk District. While those burning buds were for local use, narco-traffickers use Belize as a transshipment point. But the anti-drug war is being fought by security forces on all […]
Earlier we told you that Philip Tysinger a Marine on the U.S. Navy ship, Gunston Hall, is looking for his family in the Toledo District. We met him onboard the Gunston Hall, which is wrapping up its visit this weekend. The Whidbey Island Class vessel was commissioned in 1989 and is the second ship named […]
The US Navy ship, USS Gunston Hall, has been in Belizean waters since February twenty-fifth. Aside from carrying on joint exercises with the Belize Defence Force and the Coast Guard, the US sailors are engaged in community work. On Tuesday, they gave a facelift to the Ladyville Health Centre and today News Five’s Delahnie Bain […]
Recently the British government announced that it is downsizing its troop numbers at BATSUB Headquarters in Price Barracks at Ladyville. Over a hundred of the one hundred and sixty local employees will lose employment over the year. But while locals who work at BATSUB are about to receive their final pay slips, the civilian employees […]
It was recently announced that the British Forces are reducing troop numbers in Belize and other countries due to cutbacks in the British Ministry of Defence. The downsizing of BATSUB was the first step locally, and forty-three Belizean employees have already been given notice of termination effective in April. On Monday Britain’s Guardian newspaper revealed […]
The Belize Defence Force is one of the smallest militaries; it boasts just over a thousand men and women. In celebrating thirty-three years, the B.D.F. today rolled out an impressive list of accomplishments. That includes delivering on its main duty to defend our borders to working along with the police in anti-crime initiatives. In between […]
Forty-three Belizeans working at the BATSUB Headquarters in Price Barracks, Ladyville have been given formal notice that come April first their services will no longer be needed. The layoff comes as part of a massive reduction effort by the British Ministry of Defense to ease its presence in Belize and several other countries. The job […]
The systematic withdrawal of three thousand British troops from Belize annually as part of a major downsizing effort by the British Ministry of Defense takes effect in January 2011. The reduction will have a dramatic impact on various aspects of our local economy. Directly affected by the extraction will be the Belize Defense Force as […]
There is grave news to report tonight that will put the government out of pocket by millions of dollars. Today’s edition of London’s based Telegraph newspaper, reports that the British Ministry of Defense has announced that the British government is ending jungle training in Belize. Reports of the closure were in the air for some […]
The Belize National Coast Guard moved into its new home today. Its address is Mile four on the Western Highway, where the new headquarters sits ideally to keep watch on the territorial waters and the ever present threat of transnational narco-trafficking and other crimes. The new headquarters was built with the assistance from the US […]
One month ago, the government of British Prime Minister David Cameroon revealed its Strategic Defense and Security Review and announced substantive cuts to military spending to tackle the deficit. Military spending is to be cut by eight percent which means that British troops on mission in numerous countries could be reduced in numbers or affected […]
The Police Department has been carrying out a series of trainings in community policing throughout the country and this week, the last of six courses is taking place at the Belize Institute of Management. Thirty Special Constables are participating in the program, in which they are coached on how to better cope with the day […]
The weather report is coming up later in the newscast and will have more on the tropical storm. But earlier this morning, the Belize City Council, more specifically the City Emergency Management Organization, CEMO, made final preparations for hurricane shelters. The plans will avoid chaos for residents in Belize City, which is the most densely […]
Their motto is: “Shoulder to Shoulder” which represents their ability to work and play together as team. Well today some new members were added to take up that challenge as soldiers in Belize’s army. Isani Cayetano trekked to Ladyville to bear witness and files this report. Isani Cayetano, Reporting Recruit Intake Number Fifty-Three, the latest […]
We told you earlier in the newscast about this morning’s press conference by the Minister of Police. Well, fresh off his comments about fat cops, the minister of police has new comments about drunken cops. Doug Singh said today that ‘Uniform Pride’ will be one way to motivate and to change the behaviour of some […]
There was a major shake up in the hierarchy of the police department late last week. Officer Commanding the Eastern Division, David Henderson, has been replaced by Assistant Commissioner of Police Elodio Aragon. Senior Superintendent Russell Blackett now becomes the Deputy Officer Commanding the Eastern Division, while Assistant Superintendent of Police, Alden Dawson, is now […]
There are significant changes in the top brass of the Belize Defence Force; three senior commanders have been reassigned. Lieutenant Colonel Ganney Dortch, a familiar face, has vacated the Chief of Staff assignment and has taken on the post of Commanding Officer of the Second Infantry Battalion. Dortch is fully in charge of operations in […]
One family is homeless following a fire that damaged two other wooden structures clustered in a yard on Petticoat Alley just before three o’clock this morning. By the time it was over, only one of the three buildings was still standing. While fire fighters managed to withstand the windy night and contain the blaze, the […]
Last Wednesday we reported that food rations had been stolen from the B.D.F. storage room at Price Barracks in Ladyville. News Five got confirmation today that the soldier who will be criminally prosecuted did not act alone. There is word that a Warrant Officer Class two Sergeant Major and a woman Staff Sergeant colluded in […]
The police department may have rogue cops and it seems that the Belize Defense Force may have a few rogues of its own. The B.D.F. amasses and stores vast amounts of food supplies for the hundreds of soldiers stationed around the country. But someone has stolen about ten thousand dollars worth of the supplies from […]
In the past weeks we have been reporting on a number of summer camps taking place around the country. Earlier today, we caught up with the annual camp hosted by the B.D.F. Hundreds of children have signed up for the program which has a little of everything: cooking, sports, IT and aviation. News Five’s Summer […]
There have recently been reports in the media that Guatemalans have once again encroached on Belizean soil and cleared vast areas of forests and reserves. It’s not an unusual occurrence, but this time the alleged encroachment in the San Jose/Edward Central area was claimed to have gone unchecked by the Belize Defense Force. It was […]
An earthquake devastated Haiti earlier this year on January twelfth. Since then, many countries have lent a helping hand in the reconstruction efforts. This week at the request of the Louisiana Army National Guard headed for Haiti, as part of Task Force called “Kou’t Men” which means Helping Hands. The soldiers will also get first […]
