The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Belize Police Department will not simply push for amendments to the Constitution for stiffer laws for gang and gun violence. Today, Commissioner Williams told reporters that during the ninety-day State of Emergency, they will conduct mediation sessions with the youths who are locked at the Belize Central Prison during this period.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Next week we will commence intervention and mediation sessions at the Kolbe Foundation. That will be led by Mr Nuri Mohammed. The intention is for him to go in twice a week to meet with them in smaller groups and then see how we can eventually expand the groups. That will be done for the three-month period of the SOE. Again, the objective is not to just have them locked up in prison but also to have them resolve whatever issues or conflicts that they may have, so hopefully it is going to bear good fruits. In terms of the persons who are still wanted by the police, some of them may have left the country, some of them may be hiding in other parts of the country, but we’re hoping that the public is going to assist us in rooting them out from where they may be.”
A bitter feud that continues to play out among rival groups in the west, claimed the life of Anthony Smith on Sunday night in Santa Elena Town. The thirty-year-old Avella Street resident, according to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, was a suspect in a deadly shooting incident that ultimately claimed the life of David Galindo several weeks ago. The attack on Galindo, who was also shot while purchasing food in Santa Elena, led to members of his family storming the San Ignacio Community Hospital and coercing the medical staff into providing emergency treatment to the shooting victim. It’s a problem that the Commissioner of Police hopes to resolve with the establishment of a separate precinct in Santa Elena in the coming weeks. The twin towns, he says, are not part of the existing state of emergency.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“We have to understand that, one: the San Ignacio/Santa Elena area is not under SOE, so please don’t try to… you introduced it first by saying, “since the SOE.” So, in other words, you’re trying to pull that into the SOE which should not be. We have to understand that as police officers, we are creatures of law. There are several things that we would like to do to make sure that criminals are place where they belong, but we cannot do it because we don’t have the legal authority. While there are certain things that we want to get done, it is going to take a little time. I have met with the people of San Ignacio/Santa Elena explained to them what we are doing and that process is underway. We are still hoping that the police station for Santa Elena is going to be completed within the one month timeframe that we had given the public and we’ll be able to house that police station with police officers. We already got a new vehicle that should be deployed to the area by Monday for the officers to be able to carry out their responsibilities. In the meantime, we have GI3 in the area, they are doing the gang investigations. You now that the gang investigations are not an overnight investigation. These are investigations that take at least three to six months to be able to gather all the information to convince a court beyond a reasonable doubt that these people are gang members.”
In the case of Anthony Smith, who was shot and killed on Sunday night while purchasing food at a nearby fast-food restaurant, the ComPol says that law enforcement operations are being carried out every day and detentions are being made.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The police officers from S.P.U. and the San Ignacio operation teams are conducting daily operations. We are detaining them for forty-eight hours and after forty-eight hours we have to let them go. We cannot keep them beyond forty-eight hours. So, they are going to look for that opportunity again to do what they need to do, but we have to make sure that we do our part also to prevent them from doing so. So the police are doing as much as we can and we continue to do so until we can get that police station in place in Santa Elena and staff it with police officers, giving them resources to be able to patrol that area and even when that is done, we are still going to make sure that we continue to look at the past investigations, in terms of the murders, we look at the gang investigations, all, again a view to make sure that we can interdict those persons who are involved in this back and forth shooting in Santa Elena/San Ignacio.”
Reporter
“Is the Anthony Smith one especially painful for you all because you knew he would be a target, you know it’s ongoing escalating retaliation and bam, it happened. And is the shooter Minor, suspected shooter?”
Chester Williams
“Anthony Smith was one of the persons who was suspected to have been involved in the murder of David Galindo. We knew, yes, that he was a target, but we cannot and we will not be security guard for no criminal.”
Arthur Roy Williams, the brother of Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, is out on bail after being charged, once again, for posting about his brother online. In February, the fifty-three-year-old was charged for using a computer system to disseminate false statement with the intent to cause another person to be subject to ridicule or embarrassment, and for using a computer system to publish computer data to intimidate a person. One of the conditions for bail on these charges is that Williams was not to post anything about the Commissioner of Police or the Belize Police Department; however, allegations are that he violated the conditions. He appeared in court today, where he was read the single charge of contempt of judicial order. Williams appeared unrepresented and pleaded not guilty to the charge. Tonight, he is out after meeting bail of one thousand dollars. He is due back in court on August twentieth, 2024.
Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has once again ordered the detention of his brother and the Crimes Investigation Branch wasted no time arresting and charging Arthur Roy Williams for an alleged social media post that was in circulation over the weekend. This morning, Williams appeared before the lower court for another charge which was brought against him back in February. Upon the conclusion of that matter, he was approached by C.I.B. personnel who informed him of the reason he was being detained. It is alleged that on June twentieth, Williams posted a questionable Facebook message. That message was immediately recorded by the Cyber Crimes Unit. When asked if he believes that he has violated the terms of his bail condition, Williams said the post for which he is being blamed was simply forwarded to him by someone else. In February, Williams was charged with two counts of using a computer system to disseminate false statement with the intent to cause another person to be subject to ridicule or embarrassment, and one count of using a computer system to publish computer data to intimidate a person. The condition of the bail stipulated that he was not to use any form of social media to speak about his brother, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, or any member of the Belize Police Department.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“There was a situation, yes, where after the shooting at my house, my brother posted on social that he was upset with the gunman because the gunman wasted the bullet and shot it in the air. In other words, he suggested that the gunman should have either shot me or my son. He had been on court bail for the previous incident and to have gone on social media and posted such comment is a violation of his bail condition, so based on that he was picked up and I believe that he is going to be arraigned before the courts today.”
Reporter
“So should his bail be revoked and should he be sent to jail?”
Chester Williams
“I don’t want to wish bad for him. After all, he is my mother’s son. I cannot change that. I wish he would change the way he behaves because I personally have not done anything to him. I’ve always tried my best to reach out to him and when he needed help I was there for him. All of a sudden he became this totally different person and I don’t know if there is maybe something psychologically wrong with him. Maybe the court should order that there be a psychological evaluation on him, but something is definitely wrong. I was shopping to see if there could have been some mediation. As a matter of fact, the Mayor of Dangriga, Mr Mariano who happens to be our relative had called me once and so did Mr Arzu. He is a very good friend to both of us. They both had called me and said they would like to have a sit-down with me and my brother to see how this matter can be resolved. I said to them I have no issue and my intention was that whenever the matter would have been called up before the courts again I would have withdrawn the matter against him because he’s my brother. Both gentlemen spoke to me and him and we’re supposed to have that sit-down, but the day after they spoke to me and said what was his intention of trying to resolve the issue, he was on social media posting thing again. So how, how can I sit down with somebody who, um, is constantly saying things and do the contrary? So based on that I decided, you know, I’m not going to, um, have no sit down again. I’m going to just leave the matter to go through the court and take its course.”
As it relates to the crime of cyberbullying, Commissioner Williams said it appears that some individuals do not grasp what the cyberbullying law stipulates and what is punishable by law. He says that if you receive data and or images virtually and share it, you are breaking the law.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“People seemingly are not getting the effect of the cyber bullying legislation. Some people believe that if they receive and it is forward that they are not in violation, but the law speaks to either creating, publishing, or sharing. So if you receive it and you further share it, then you also commit the offense of cyberbullying. And it can be a video, a photograph, or even text, it’s cyberbullying. So long as it is done with the intention to intimidate or to subject the person to public humiliation or embarrassment. And when you look at the content of the photographs and video footages, even some comments that some people post, it has certainly been done with intent to subject those persons to public ridicule and embarrassment. So it falls within the limits of cyberbullying.”
Reporter
“But still a complaint would have to be made?”
Chester Williams
“Yes, a complaint would have to be made by the persons whom the post would affect.”
One of the persons accused of cyber-bullying lately is Joseph Camp, a man who has come out slamming the commissioner’s son. Today, Commissioner Williams said that Camp, who is currently away, could face several charges if he puts his foot back in Belize.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The police currently have about four arrest warrants for Joseph Camp, not just for complaints by me. There was also a complaint made by my son. He posted a number of things about my son, which are not true. As a matter of fact, my son doesn’t even live in Belize. My son lives in Taiwan where he’s studying. And so for him to have said the things that he said about my son is totally outrageous. And there is also a complaint against him from other members of the public. So, I believe that he is emboldened to make these comments because he’s not in Belize. And so he uses the place where he is to make those comments from there. I had also reported him to the U. S. Embassy. And, I’m hoping that they will see what they can do to be able to help to address the issue where he’s concerned. He cannot come to Belize and feel like he’s in Belize. He can’t do what he want to Belizeans and get away with it because his constant criy is that he’s an American citizen, as if to say that because he’s an American citizen, he’s above us Belizeans, which is not the case. I believe that Belizeans and Americans and any other national are important people and we will not allow ourselves to be subject to a person diminishing our nationality. That cannot happen.”
On Sunday morning, sixty-year-old Norman Gillett and Leon Tasher came under gunfire as they entered a property in the Palmar Boundary neighborhood of Orange Walk. Someone in a vehicle approached and shot at them, mortally wounding Gillett and injuring Tasher. Earlier today, police formally arrested and charged twenty-three-year-old Jahiem Fuller, a resident of Orange Walk Town, for the crimes of murder and attempted murder.
The recent attacks on the police station in Roaring Creek followed by the shots fired at the commissioner’s house is something that some would say is an indictment on the performance of the Police Department. It can also be seen as blatant disrespect for the Commissioner of Police and his officers. But the Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa said today that the incidents are signs of the brazenness of criminals today.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“What it speaks to is the brazenness within which these young men are now operating. And so, there is actually no indictment on the police department, when in fact, the police department acted swiftly in detaining those responsible, for that very heinous crime. And so, it just speaks to a level of brazenness that we are now seeing in the young men. And again, I want to congratulate the police officers who acted very swiftly in detaining not just the young man, but there are other suspects as well being detained as we speak.”
A storm is approaching the Yucatan Peninsula and Belizeans are heeding the advice of the National Emergency Management Organization by stocking up on food and emergency supplies. It is the job of the Supplies Control Unit under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise to ensure that businesses do not engage in price gouging practices. Over the past two days, nine businesses were issued tickets for violations of the regulations in the Cayo and Belize districts, including Eric’s Supermarket in the West Landivar area, which was found to be price gouging. These violations include failing to display the prices of controlled goods and selling a controlled good for above the controlled price. In a statement released today, the Supplies Control Unit assured the public that that it will continue inspection activities and will engage local authorities to identify and address violations and reminds business owners that the controlled price for sixteen-ounce sliced bread is two dollars and ten cents and not two dollars and twenty-five cents. The public is advised to report suspected violations to the unit.
