We may be in the midst of a national debate over how the nation’s finances are being handled, but ask most Belizeans their greatest concern and the answer you’re most likely to get is one word: crime. Today the institution that represents an important part of the overall equation introduced its newest members. News Five’s […]
While the police recruits were preparing for the big event in Belmopan, their future colleagues in Belize City were engaged in the type of police work that they don’t necessarily teach in the academy. News Five’s Jacqueline Godwin explains. Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting Since the Yabra Community Policing Centre opened its doors a year ago on […]
And now to a more traditional type of police work: that is the collection of evidence. Almost daily we hear an accused has been set free due to the lack of it. But that situation may be changing as law enforcement agencies improve their capabilities in crime scene investigation. Through the assistance of the U.S. […]
With hundreds of miles of shoreline, scores of cayes, three atolls and a barrier reef that ranks among the world’s natural wonders you’d think that Belize would boast one of the most formidable navies in the region. Unfortunately a tiny population and slim resources have kept our marine law enforcement to a minimum. That situation […]
With the recent observance of World AIDS Day much of our attention has been focussed on efforts to combat the deadly pandemic and all its related effects. Today one of our most important national institutions made clear its own commitment to the fight. News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports from Price Barracks. Colonel Stephen Heusner, Deputy […]
During brief ceremonies at the Queen Street Police Station this afternoon, Commander of the Eastern Division, Assistant Commission of Police Crispin Jeffries, handed out the keys to six brand new Isuzu D-MAX pickup trucks to formation leaders from across the country. According to Police Press Officer G. Michael Reid, the vehicles will form an important […]
The Belize National Coast Guard and B.D.F. Air Wing went into action this morning after a skiff belonging to the University of Belize failed to show up at Calabash Caye following a departure from Belize City yesterday. This morning the combined air and sea search located the vessel about two miles east of San Pedro. […]
Belizeans of a certain age may recall the days when Belize’s territorial integrity was bolstered by a robust contingent of over a thousand British soldiers and air force personnel. These young military men, whose appetite for food, drink, and other local pleasures bordered on the legendary, certainly left their mark on the country. And while […]
The relationship between Belize and Taiwan is expected to expand in military cooperation following reciprocal official visits of leaders of the two countries’ armed forces. News Five’s Kendra Griffith has the highlights of day two of Taiwanese General, Lee Tien-yu’s second day in the country. Kendra Griffith, Reporting General Lee Tien-yu began his second day […]
Late this afternoon, official welcoming ceremonies were held at the Philip Goldson International Airport following the arrival of the Joint Chief of Staff of the Republic of China Armed Forces Air Force General Lee Tien-yu. The General was met by B.D.F. Commander General Lloyd Gillett and Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize Joseph Shih. General Lee’s three […]
It sounds like one of those academic exercises that, once completed, will gather dust on a shelf at Price Barracks. But an army as thinly stretched as the Belize Defence Force has little time for frivolities. As News Five’s Kendra Griffith discovered, plans now being formulated at the Biltmore are meant to be followed. Brig. […]
The Belize Defence Force has sixty-two new soldiers. News Five was at their passing out ceremony this morning at Price Barracks and here are some sights and sounds. Cordel Hyde, Minister of Defence ?Today marks a special occasion, sixty-two young men and women have endured the rigors of training and have become men and women […]
It has been over sixty years since the end of the last truly global conflict, World War Two. But despite the lack of a single all encompassing armed struggle, our planet could hardly be called peaceful, as dozens of civil conflicts and border skirmishes continue to kill thousands of combatants and civilians alike. So it […]
When Belize Defence Force Sergeant Ramon Aguilar went missing and for the next nine days had an entire nation praying for his safety; the eyes of Belizeans were forced to focus clearly on the issue of jungle survival. But apart from his becoming lost and then found, we knew little about why Aguilar was out […]
When someone in Belize is seriously missing, whether at sea or on land, the lead search and rescue agency is usually the Belize Defence Force. Well tonight one of the B.D.F.’s very own is missing in the Chiquibul Forest. Juvencia Aguilar, Mother ?I just want my son to come back. That?s all I want, him […]
It was not a particularly fancy or high tech gift … but what more could an army wish for than half a million bullets? News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports from Price Barracks, Ladyville. Brig. Gen. Lloyd Gillett, Commander, B.D.F. ?Today we are here to receive five hundred and thirty-six thousand rounds of live five point […]
It’s called Belize: 2021 and though it may sound like the name of a new movie, it’s actually the government’s fifteen year vision for the nation’s security. And while it is not the kind of initiative to happen overnight, that hasn’t stopped the Belize Defence Force and other agencies from pushing forward. In the second […]
In response to rising rates of crime and violence, one newly formed association has launched a country wide awareness campaign. According to Dr. Leopold Miller, Chairman of the National Anti-Crime Association of Belize, on Saturday the B.T.L. park in Belize City will be the venue of the organization’s first anti-crime awareness day. Miller says the […]
Diplomatic ties between Belize and Mexico are strengthened tonight thanks to a bi-lateral programme designed to curb illegal activities in border areas. News Five’s Janelle Chanona has the details. Janelle Chanona, Reporting Today more than forty Mexican and Belizean law enforcement officials met in the old capital for a round of technical talks on national […]
They say that when Uncle Sam sneezes, Belize catches a cold. Well, this morning the world’s only superpower was nearly hit by the virus of terrorism … and within hours those travelling to and from Belize were stricken by acute air sickness. Today I headed out to the Philip Goldson International Airport to find out […]
The crime of rape, as noted earlier in this newscast, is not exactly uncommon in Belize. But carnal assaults are not the only category of crimes involving sex. According to officials in the tourism industry, a new and particularly exploitive type of prostitution is rearing its ugly head in areas frequented by visitors. Andrew Godoy, […]
Human trafficking: it’s an interesting story to cover because it’s really two stories. The first is the phenomenon of trafficking itself and how serious a problem it is or isn’t. The second involves the Belize government’s fawningly desperate response to Uncle Sam’s admonitions to do better at curbing it. Today’s training session at the U.W.I. […]
It may not be as glamorous as jungle survival or hand to hand combat but the training currently underway for the B.D.F. may be just as important. For the second consecutive year the Belize Defence Force has teamed up with the United Kingdom’s Joint Task Force for a course in Civilian Military Cooperation or CIMIC […]
When it comes to defending our country, Belize has a dilemma. In the first place, we have very limited resources … and armies are expensive. Secondly, the country has a tiny population but very long borders, including thousands of square miles of sea. Added to the mix is a belligerent neighbour forty times our size […]
Since Monday representatives from the Belize Defence Force, Police Department, NEMO, Coast Guard and a host of other organisations have been huddled in a room at Price Barracks in Ladyville. Their mission? To come up with a national search and rescue policy. According to B.D.F. Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Reuel Black, in the last […]
