Early this morning, news spread like wildfire that well-known barber Fareed Ahmad was dead; initially due to a traffic accident that occurred a block from the Hattieville Police Station. But later into the day, it would be learned that he had been shot to the head, allegedly by a woman police officer, who was inside […]
This afternoon, the Football Federation of Belize issued a release expressing sympathy with the Ahmads on the untimely passing of Fareed. The release says that the thirty-eight-year-old father of four boys joined the Belize District Association of Football Referees in 2009 and rose in prominence to become a national referee in 2012. He officiated the […]
The chilling death of Kimberley Stephens in Placencia Village has left the peninsula in shock. The American national owned a home in Maya Beach and visited Belize regularly. She resided in Washington where she worked in the seismic field. Stephens arrived in Placencia on December sixteenth but no one saw or heard from her in […]
On Wednesday we reported on the killing of twenty-year-old Carlos Jackson. The prep cook who was out socializing on Christmas Eve when he was cut to the throat in front of a nightclub. Jackson’s family alleged that he may have been killed by someone over a work promotion. Today, the owner of the Rumfish, who […]
The Statistical Institute of Belize has released the latest figures in three categories, including the External Trade Bulletin, the Consumer Price Index, as well as the Labor Force. This information is relative to November. Total imports last month were valued at a little over one hundred and fifty-four million dollars, which represents a decrease of […]
On the heels of an exceptionally bloody Christmas weekend, considering the number of fatal traffic accidents recorded, the Belize Police Department has reassessed its various crime fighting and operational strategies to mitigate these incidents heading into the New Year’s weekend. Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Myvett reviewed the events of the four-day weekend and also […]
It has been another deadly holiday weekend countrywide. As many as seven persons lost their lives by misadventure; whether, murder or in road traffic accidents. We start with the most deadly of the mishaps, along the George Price Highway. Thirty-three-year-old Linda Carolina Hernandez and twenty-four-year-old Oscar Rene Alvarado of Cotton Tree were leaving the village […]
The Christmas season in Belize is regularly marked by traffic mishaps and this year has been no exception. Since Friday, no less than seven road traffic accidents have been reported countrywide, with four fatalities recorded. Five of those accidents spanned nearly the entire length of the George Price Highway, from just outside of Western Paradise to […]
He was on his way home to Belize City from Gales Point where his family celebrated Christmas Day, but sometime around eight o’clock that night, Albert Garnett would perish in a traffic accident between miles twenty-four and twenty-five on the George Price Highway. Police were called out to the scene of an accident in which […]
Road traffic mishaps are also a concern for the Ministry of Health, which does keep a running tally as part of its mortality statistics for Belize. While the figure was not available as of news time, Director of Health Services Dr. Marvin Manzanero made reference to some of the key factors behind crashes, such as […]
Twenty-year-old Jose Najera is lucky to be alive tonight, following a shooting incident in Belmopan on December twenty-first. Najera was seated inside his vehicle in the vicinity of the Ring Road when he was accosted by an unknown individual who opened fire on him. Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Myvett shared what police have been […]
Gunshots rang out in Orange Walk Town on Tuesday night leaving one man injured with wounds to the right foot. Juan Cabrera came under attack by a gun-toting duo as his stood in front of his house sometime before eight o’clock. During the robbery, he was relieved of several items and in the process he […]
The Christmas weekend also had a pair of murders to report, though neither was in Belize City. The village of Roaring Creek was shocked by a discovery of a body in the Belize River this morning, later identified as Errol Gabourel Smith. Twenty-six year old Gabourel, also known as “Rabbit,” was recently out of prison. […]
With only nine days to go in 2017, crime statistics for the past twelve months indicate that there are equal numbers of homicides recorded between this year and 2016. That figure stands at one hundred and thirty-eight murders. The paring down of the body count in Belize City can be attributed to effective crime fighting […]
The introduction of Operation ACT, a direct law enforcement response to the spike in violent crimes during the months of September and October, has, to a certain extent, stemmed the flow of blood in the streets of Belize City. One can’t help but wonder, however, that had these measures been put in place much earlier […]
The feud among inner city gangs, particularly during the aftermath of ACP Chester Williams’ departure from his previous post as Commander of Eastern Division South, is responsible for the upsurge in violent crimes. While those incidents have since been tapered, the work of the Gang Suppression Unit remains arduous. Not only is the GSU the […]
The Belize Police Department, despite its many internal challenges this year, is beating its chest proudly and basking in the success of Operation ACT. Much of that achievement was made by the men and women of law enforcement who continue to work steadfastly in keeping the citizenry safe. The brass of the department, while acknowledging […]
And finally from ComPol Whylie, is a projection of what can be expected of the department come January 2018. While many of its challenges are ever-present, the agency is armed with several crime fighting resources to tackle those obstacles head-on. The boots-on-the-ground approach to policing is also being bolstered an internal review of existing laws, […]
Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington’s meeting with his Guatemalan counterpart Sandra Jovel Polanco produced a number of updates on critical issues between the two countries. After months of tension due to confrontations at both the western and southern borders, Guatemala appears to be signaling a return to diplomacy. Belize is soon to get back an Ambassador […]
Despite niceties over the years on the diplomatic front, relationships on the ground between the two countries have shown bumps and bruises. The two foreign ministers spoke of trying to reverse the situation, especially as it relates to the western border, where business to Melchor slowed down in the wake of the shooting death of […]
Ten persons including children have been left without a roof over their heads within days of the Christmas. A fire gutted half of a long barrack on Flamboyant Street sometime before nine o’clock on Wednesday night. The barracks housed four units where four families lived. The first two housing units of the barracks burnt out […]
A Christmas party for members of the Youth Cadet Corps in Pomona Valley on Sunday continues to raise serious questions. A photograph showing a trio of teenage girls, each posing with a can of contraband Brava beer, has gone viral on social media, particularly since the event was being held for its young participants. While […]
A teenager who had been held in police custody, following the stabbing death of well-known auto-trader Mark Vasquez last Saturday, has been released without being indicted. Eighteen-year-old Osbaldo Nieto was discharged from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital earlier this week and held by Belize City police in connection with the grisly murder of the used […]
In respect of another murder, an all-points bulletin has been issued for the arrest of twenty-nine-year-old George Bull, a resident of Carmelita Village in the Orange Walk District. Bull is wanted in connection with the December fifteenth murder of Jaime Pelayo outside of a nightclub in Orange Walk Town. While the construction worker has been […]
There are new developments in a case of alleged rape at the Independence Police Station back in November. A pair of women is claiming that they were both sexually assaulted by officers on duty at the local precinct. That report was made several weeks ago and the Professional Standards Branch has been investigating the allegation […]
