The B.D.F. has at least forty-four active COVID cases. This, as the Belize District continues to have the highest transmissibility rate. While generally isolated and locked off, there are reports of cases at BATSUB and Price Barracks. News Five’s Duane Moody investigated the situation today. Duane Moody, Reporting Reports have been rolling in to […]
The official change of command within the Belize Defence Force will be held on Friday at Price Barracks. Since last week, the soldiers have been engaged in practice for the parade and the displays that will take place during a pandemic. Today, Acting Chief of Staff Major Rogelio Ramirez says that permission was requested from […]
On Friday, Brigadier General Azariel Loria will be formally installed as the new commander of the Belize Defense Force. He takes over from his predecessor who demitted office in December. But, Commander Loria’s ascension and assumption of leadership comes at a critical juncture since the budget for the armed forces has been slashed amid the […]
Former Belize Defense Force commander, Stephen Ortega, retired from duty on December twenty-first, 2021. Since then, he has been succeeded by Azariel Loria who has risen in rank to become the next Brigadier General of the B.D.F. During Ortega’s tenure, Loria observed carefully the decisions being made at the organizational level. Brig. Gen. Azariel […]
U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Task Force Bravo today concluded a six-day medical outreach program in the Toledo District in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The joint medical teams provided preventive and primary care, dental, and pharmacy services in the Jalacte and San Pedro Columbia villages to almost eight hundred area residents. Over […]
The Joint Bravo Task Force’s motto is “progress through unity” and that is exactly what they are seeking to accomplish in Belize over the next two weeks. The “Keel Billed Toucan” humanitarian and disaster relief exercise is taking place in Ladyville, Belize District. J.T.F Bravo is a military team out of the United States Southern […]
There are many holiday events at this time of the year, but one of the most festive is the traditional Christmas luncheon at the Price Barracks. News Five’s Duane Moody joined the B.D.F soldiers today. Duane Moody, Reporting Today, senior officials of the Ministry of National Defense and National Security along with representatives from […]
Brigadier General Steven Ortega wore his battle dress uniform for the last time today as he goes off on retirement after four years at the helm of the Belize Defense Force. During his tenure as commander, the B.D.F. has had many achievements. Likewise, there have also been numerous challenges. As the highest ranking military officer […]
The Belize Defense Force was first to take command of the Joint Intelligence Operation Center when it was established a few years ago. Since then, it has led JIOC on two occasions before the post was rotated between the Belize Police Department and the Belize Coast Guard. Commented on JIOC in an exit interview we […]
Today News Five found out that Colonel Azariel Loria will succeed outgoing Brigadier General Steven Ortega. Ortega’s term as commander of the B.D.F. comes to an end shortly and at the annual B.D.F. day in January; Loria will ascend to the post. Loria is the current Deputy Commander of the B.D.F. Minister of State for […]
On Monday a video was posted on social media of a uniformed Policeman being led into a police station by his fellow police colleagues, suggesting that the officer was under the influence of alcohol. The Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, learned of the matter and told the media on Wednesday that essentially, the officer’s fate […]
News Five has confirmed that A.C.P. Marco Vidal has been suspended for sixty days with pay. Information is that the Security Services Commission, chaired by Charles Gibson, met and approved a course of action going forward involving the embattled senior cop. A suspension letter was issued – copied to the Minister of Home Affairs Kareem […]
In Cabinet news, the prime minister and his advisors gave approval for the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan, to fall the National Sports Council which will assume responsibility for the upkeep of the stadium and allow Citco access. Cabinet approved the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy and Logistics’ Sustainable Energy Roadmap 2021-2040, established with a […]
Today news five spoke with Minister of the Public Service Minister Henry Charles Usher about key posts that are becoming vacant with the retirement of senior public officers. Among those are Brigadier General Steven Ortega, who’s retiring from the leadership of the Belize Defence Force and Auditor General Dorothy Bradley, who has hit what many […]
Commissioner of Police Chester Williams sat down with Rear Admiral Elton Bennett on Tuesday to discuss a way forward for the police department and the coast guard to work together, along with the Belize Defense Force, to intercept drug runners who traffic narcotics through the country. The Belize Coast Guard is presently at the helm […]
Over the past few weeks, street gangs in the various communities have been engaged in a clean-up campaign in their respective neighborhoods as part of a collaborative effort by the Ministries of Home Affairs and Human Development. Since then, a chef, Reuben Cano who lived in the Antelope Street Extension area was shot dead. Today, […]
Dawson said the plan is to ensure that the dialogue be maintained between feuding factions in order to keep the violence under control. William Dawson, Chairman, Leadership Intervention Unit “Crime and violence is not something that just goes away. There are many factors and so we’re hoping to address the root cause of some […]
Another program is the “Heal up With Roots” Initiative where sixty Belize City residents are being trained to act as mediators in their communities. DYS is utilizing the cure violence model and participants learn basic counseling and intervention skills. It is a long term approach to addressing the issue of gang violence. We spoke to […]
It happens over and over again: women are killed at the hands of their current or former spouses. But men have been killed too in domestic incidents. And so have children—young ones and teens –caught in the crossfire of parental disputes. Today those tasked with trying to eliminate the deaths, the beatings and even emotional […]
Traffic officers are now being trained to use breathalyzers to help combat drunk driving. Four officers were in Denver, Colorado where they completed a training course and returned to train other law enforcement officers. The training included the use of reasonable suspicion to determine the sobriety of a motorist, proper operation and calibration of the […]
Remembrance Day or Poppy Day is a memorial day observed on November eleventh across the Commonwealth. Ever since the end of the First World War it honors members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. In Belize City today, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at hosted the Belize Defense Force and paid homage […]
Following the arrests made in the narco plane landing in the Bladen area of Toledo on November 4th, and the confiscation of drugs and firearms, the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security has expressed its appreciation to the security forces for a job well done. According to a release from the Ministry, they are […]
The Commander of the Colombian Air Force is in Belize. General Ramsés Rueda and his delegation visited Brigadier General Steven Ortega, Commander of the Belize Defence Force, at Price Barracks, Ladyville. The purpose of the visit was to discuss combating transnational organized crime and the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries’ […]
The scourge of violent crimes across the country that continues to threaten citizen security remains an issue of national importance. The number of gang-related incidents that are being recorded on a daily basis is cause for concern and that enduring problem is not lost on the former Leader of the Opposition. Today he asked for […]
There will be new legislation that is expected to improve and strengthen the juvenile justice system. With the blessing of the Cabinet, the Ministry of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs will repeal the Certified Institutions Bill and amend the Juvenile Offenders Bill and the Families and Children Bill. The changes are expected bring about […]
