The state of emergency that has been in effect for the past ninety days across portions of Belize City and the Cayo District will expire in five days. So, will the S.O.E. be extended for an additional period? Commissioner Williams says it’s an option that’s still on the table. But he says that the police department has worked out a deal with these alleged gang members, a tradeoff of sorts. Here is how he puts it.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I met with the people under the SOE two days ago. And, I have laid the cards on the table for them. They all said that they want this gang issue to stop. They want to be released and come home to their families. And I said to them, if they can see how peaceful the country has been since they were detained, it simply goes to show that they were the problem. They conceded to that and pledged that coming out of prison, so it’s not extended. They will work with the programs that we have in place, brother Nuri has committed to work with them continuously to see how we can help them to overcome whatever issues they may have. And I said to them, the same way how you all can live together in prison, why can’t you live this way when you’re out on the streets? You don’t need to be in prison to learn to live this way. And they agreed. But the important thing I said to them was that since you so want to change your life, you don’t want to go back to the gang life, usually you don’t want to go back to the shooting and killing of others, then surrender your guns. You don’t need, you’re no longer a gang member, surrender your guns. They agreed that they’re going to surrender their guns. So we’ll see what that goes.”
The Professional Standards Branch is investigating a police constable and a corporal from the Benque Viejo Police Station. The two officers allegedly misappropriated one thousand dollars from the Belize Police Department. ComPol Williams told reporters what the investigation has revealed so far.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“There was some situation where a lady was supposed to be hired to cook for some summer camp that the police had. And, the lady was charging, I think, one thousand dollars to do the cooking. That was agreed upon and then two days before the date of the cooking, the police officers told the lady that she would not be needed to cook anymore but the money will still be sent to her. And they told her that once the money is sent to her, she must transfer the money to their account. The money did came to the lady’s account and on the instruction of the police, the money was sent to one of the police officers account. So that matter is with PSB and PSB will deal with that matter adequately.”
On Wednesday night, we told you that the President of NEAB, Pastor Victor Hernandez has been arraigned on two counts of sexual offenses, including rape and sexual assault. Hernandez is currently out on bail. According to the Commissioner of Police, the alleged victim made a report some time ago, but the police were unable to get her to cooperate fully because she feared for her life. He noted that police moved on the arrest based on directives from the Office of the D.P.P.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“From what I was told by the acting OC of the Toledo Police Formation, is that this report was made to the police some time ago but there was no cooperation or minimal cooperation coming from the complainant due to fear from threats that she had received. Eventually she came forward and gave a full account of what may have transpired. And so, the police had sent the matter to the D.P.P. representative in the south for advice. And having reviewed the file, the evidence on file, he advised the police to proceed with the charges against the pastor and the police acted accordingly. It is extremely sad because those of us who are in public, who has authority and are in public life, where people depends on us, people relies on us, people trust us. When we breach the trust of the people that trusted us, then that is something that we have to be concerned about. A pastor is a person of eminence in society. And when a pastor is accused of rape, it will certainly cause a concern, not just for that community, but the whole country.”
The Professional Standards Branch has launched an investigation into the death of twenty-six-year-old Belmopan resident Daniel Caal. He died at the Western Regional Hospital after being held in police custody for four days. An autopsy report revealed that he died from respiratory complications. Well, ComPol Williams says that several administrative breaches have been identified, including the fact that Caal did not have to remain in the holding cell for more than a few hours.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“ We can see with certainty that there may be no criminal culpability on the part of the police. But as the investigation is unfolding, we are seeing where some of our administration, administrative measures were breached. And so those police officers who caused the breach of our administrative measures will have to answer administratively. One such thing is that Mr. Caal need not to have been in police custody beyond the Friday. He could have gone to court. Why keep him in custody longer than it was necessary to do so? So, whoever was responsible for ensuring he had gone to court a Friday will have to answer why that did not occur. But if what the family is saying that they had visited the station to see him, and the police did not allow them to see him, the police can be wrong and they can be right. We do have visitation hours at the station. We can’t have a system where people walk in anytime wanting to see a prisoner. So, we have to look to see if that was during visitation hours. But if the family would have come and say, I’d like to see my loved one because we know he suffered from XYZ and is caught every so often, which then triggers something that might have the police, let’s make a check on him. So, we have to look at what exactly was said to the police by the family members when they alleged that they visited the station.”
Reporter
“Was there any explanation for the gash on the head?”
Chester Williams
“I believe that it was caused from a seizure and when he fell, the bar in the cell block may have hit his head.”
The past few days have been a struggle for residents of Belize City who have been grappling with the sudden flooding in the area. Despite minimal rainfall, several inches of water have found their way into homes and businesses. On Wednesday, Deputy Mayor, Allan Pollard explained that while the Belize City Council is working to reduce the flooding, climate change is difficult to counteract. Prime Minister Briceno told News Five that the government is seeking long-term solutions to the issue.
Britney Gordon
“This flooding that’s happening here, we know that there’s work being done to try and reduce it, but the pumping, as we mentioned yesterday from Deputy Mayor, is not enough. So what other work are we doing to hinder this flooding?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“That’s a million-dollar question, and why do I say that? Simply because we’re living the sign of the times, the issue of climate change. And, as these floodings are going, not going to improve, they’re going to get worse with time. And unfortunately, that’s what we’re facing. Belize is in the probably top ten countries that’s most vulnerable to climate change. And that is why we have been going around internationally trying to put pressure on the countries that are causing this. Because the temperatures of the planet is increasing. And as it increased and the the dirt and the salt caps is are melting all the ice there. And as more water pours into the oceans tend to rise, and low-lying areas like Belize, especially Belize city in particular, water’s going up. I just drove down north from the street and you can see the river. The river is up. How can you pump that out? And to where? Because even the sea is up. So we have to try to find how best we could mitigate against it. And and we have to take a harder look, a more long-term approach.”
Battlefield Park now has a new feature that will be very hard to miss. It’s a sixteen-foot bronze statue of the Right Honorable George Cadle Price, in downtown Belize City. It is the tallest full-body statue ever erected in the country. The figure was unveiled on the eve of National Service Day. It is celebrated in remembrance of the death of the Father of the Nation thirteen years ago. A wreath laying ceremony is held annually in his honor. News Five’s Paul Lopez attended the statue unveiling, as well as the wreath laying ceremony. He filed the following report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
At sixteen feet, seven inches, it is the tallest full-body bronze statue ever erected in Belize. The statue of Right Honorable George Cadle Price, the Father of the Nation, was unveiled on Wednesday night inside Battlefield Park, immortalizing the country’s first premier.
Henry Charles Usher
Henry Charles Usher, Grandnephew of George Price
“I think the most important aspect of it is that the legacy, the memory, what George Price left us, lives on. And, I think that is why as a family we are always excited by these types of events.”
Allan Pollard
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor, Belize City
“Today is no doubt, one that will immortalize, in my personal book, as I get to enjoy the privilege of standing before this statue that is but a small scale of the giant of a man that it honors. I did not get to enjoy the luxury of walking the boulevard, the picado roads and trekking the trails with him, but still I always am fascinated by stories of his diplomatic feats.”
The sculpture was commissioned by Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler and formed by Stephen Okeke. It depicts Price in his famous guayabera, with a copy of the Belize Times in his left hand while his right hand is raised high, a symbol of his friendly wave.
Alice Castillo
Alice Castillo, Niece of George Price
“Uncle George worked and served by example. His attendance at daily mass at the cathedral spoke to us about his devotion to and love for our creator and encourages us to do the same, to recognize primo dios, that God should come first in our lives. His picking up of litter and disposing of it properly as he walked to work in Belmopan was a lesson for all of us to do the same. To realize, that if the leader of the country was not too big to do such a trivial task then everyone of us should love our country and care for the environment as he did.”
Price passed away at ninety-two years old, on September nineteenth, 2011. The plaque at the base of the statue reads, quote, “He led a life of service to this nation and its people as our Father of the Nation. His Legacy continue to inspire as we strive for progress and unity”, end quote. September nineteenth is now observed across the country as National Service Day. On this day, an official wreath laying ceremony is held at his tomb inside the Lord Ridge Cemetery.
Francis Fonesca
Francis Fonesca, Chairman, National Celebration Commission
“We come together each year to celebrate National Service Day in honor of the Fathe of our Nation, our Great Leader the Right Honorable George Price. And, it is both right and proper that we on this day, reflect on the great legacy of George Price, the great life of service of George Price.”
Today’s wreath laying ceremony saw the attendance of Dame Froyla Tzalam, the Governor General of Belize, government officials, the Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow, and members of the Price family. Primary school students from several Belize City schools were also on hand to witness the ceremony. Saint Catherine Academy students recited excerpts from his speeches.
SCA Student
SCA Student
“State of the nation, 1980. We are a people and we can do more when we are united, because in union are the strength to arise, unite and build. We ask the continued support of the Belizean people and we asked the help of the almighty and eternal god who in the book of Genesis, Chapter eleven verse six said, behold they are one people and they have one language and this is the beginning of that they are bound to do and nothing will be impossible for them to do.”
The Belize Defense Force Band played several of George Price’s favorite hymns during the ceremony as those in attendance reflected on his life and legacy. A statue in his honor and a gathering to remember his service to the nation. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Just a few days away from Belize’s forty-third anniversary, The National Institute of Culture and History has announced that the residence of Belize’s first prime minister, George Cadle Price, will be restored and transformed into a public learning space. The restoration is part of NICH’s effort to preserve Belize’s history and culture. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at the event for the historic announcement.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
To some people, the house at number three Pickstock Street may seem completely ordinary. A simple construction of wood and metal. But to those who know the history, it is the heart of the anti-colonial movement in Belize. It is the birthplace of Belize’s first prime minister, George Cadle Price and now it is being transformed into a beacon of public education.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I think that it’s important for us as Belizeans to really have a true appreciation of our history and what George Price has done for us and we, I know we refer to him as a part of the nation, but it’s more than just saying it, but seeing it and understanding the whole history. And we felt that NICH and certainly Minister Fonseca felt that it would be important if we could somehow try and work with the Price family to preserve this building where Mister Price grew up. And so the idea is to be able to preserve it, work with NICH, open it to the public so that, our, especially our young people could see the humble beginnings of this great man. And to learn about his life and learn what he did, what he went through, how he lived. And what is it, what were his formative years like. And hoping that it could have some kind of impression, especially in the lives of our young people. So to me, it’s historic, what you’re doing today.”
Inside the wooden walls, the People’s Committee was formed around what is referred to as the Table of Revolution, initiating the colony’s first movement against the British colonies. The house is more than just Price’s childhood home, it is where letters to the king of England and the United Nations, advocating for Belize’s self-determination, were drafted.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“This has been going on for some time. The Price family is a very private family. And it took some convincing to tell them that what we wanted is to preserve this. We believe this is a historic landmark. And I’m hoping to try to keep the floor where mister Price lived pretty much the way it was when he was alive. I visited a number of occasions. It was very Spartan. I remember if there was a wrong table, a small wrong table. I’m told that is where they signed some of the agreements way back in the early fifties when they were working on the constitution for the P.U.P. and even working on the flag and so many things, a lot of history is in that house.”
The National Institute of Culture and History will guide the process of restoring the house into a digitally connected public classroom and immersive learning space, while the yard is transformed into a botanical and sculptural garden. One of Price’s family members, Mamie Martinez, spoke about the significance of the home to her family.
Mamie Martinez
Mamie Martinez, George Price’s Niece
“Having served on the board of directors of NICH, I know for sure that NICH is the right organization to be entrusted with this precious home of ours. And we have Aunt Betsy’s blessing who is still with us for guidance. We all have so many wonderful memories of this home. And of our parents and aunts and uncles and the times we spent here.”
The house has strong ties to the history of Belize, but the legacy of the Price family also lives on inside. Martinez recalls the fond memories of her childhood there.
Marnie Martinez
“This home was where I was told that my dad asked our grandmother, Mamacita, to save one of her daughters for him when he came, when he went off to serve in the Royal Air Force in World War II. There’s a lot of history. I remember having wonderful Saturday afternoon visits with Uncle George while Mom and Aunt Sue had tea and listened to classical music. There were so many stories.”
The restoration of the home is about more than just the structure, it is part of NICH’s continued efforts to use physical spaces and digital platforms for education. Prime Minister John Briceño emphasized the importance of remembering the life George Price lived in its simplest form.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“He had no computer, he had no TV, he had a shortwave radio and a small, simple bed. And I’m told that they want to keep it the way it was so that people can come and have an appreciation to see the kind of life that mister Price lived. He lived for Belize, and as he said, his family was Belize, his children are Belize, and everything that He did it for love of the country, for love of people, and the little that he collected he used to give back to the people.”
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police, says that the ongoing State of Emergency (SOE) has led to a notable decrease in crime. ComPol Willaims said, “Since the SOE, we saw a significant decrease of crime in Belize City, particularly in gang violence, likewise in the Cayo District.”
According to Williams, the SOE has provided law enforcement with enhanced capabilities to conduct thorough investigations.
While acknowledging improvements, Williams noted, “It’s not where we want to be.” Williams described the decrease as a “good achievement” and added that “the public needs to do more to work with us” to further reduce crime.
As the SOE nears its conclusion, discussions regarding its potential extension have emerged. The Commissioner clarified, “There is no thought to extending the SOE.”
In addressing gang members, Williams urged gang members to surrender their “guns” upon release. “The way you all can live together in prison, why can’t you live this way when you’re out on the streets? You don’t need to be in prison to learn to live this way,” Williams said.
Prime Minister John Briceño told News Five in an exclusive interview today that “not a single bottle has been imported yet.” This was his response when we asked him about the 10,000 cases of Corona beers expected to be imported into the country soon. As we have reported, approval was given for the importation of the beers, and the Ministry of Agricultural and Food Security has stipulated that the bottles must be labelled ‘Belize Market’ and that the import must occur in stages, with the company required to pay high import duties due to the lack of reduced tariffs for Mexican beer.
Briceño said, “They just issued, or are about to issue, to import it.” According to Briceño, there has been a shortage of Belikin beer, which is produced by Bowen and Bowedn Limited. “There’s been a shortage of Coca-Cola in the market. I mean, I got a message from one of my constituents yesterday saying, ‘Here we’re the 21st, and we are short of soft drinks and beer, and this is a time when we can sell.'”
Briceño says that he is in communication with B&B CEO Michael Bowen, whom he described as an “excellent businessman and Belizean.” According to the Prime Minister, Bowen informed him that “they have increased the production and sales have increased. But it seems because of the growth of the economy, we’ve been growing very, very fast. It’s been difficult to catch up.”
He added, “So there are some shortages. Is that a policy that we want to go down to? I don’t think so. I don’t think that’s a policy that we want to support local industry, but if from time to time there’s a shortage, we may need to consider in the short term to allow that to come. We are still looking at the issue of the Corona beer, and probably quite likely at the next cabinet it will become, it will come up for discussion.”
The Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, has strongly countered claims from the Leader of Opposition (LOO), Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow, regarding rising crime rates in Belize. “He knows the reality of where we stand with crime statistics,” Williams stated, addressing the opposition’s State of the Nation Address delivered on Wednesday from the United Democratic Party’s headquarters. Williams added, “We cannot allow him to mislead the Belizean people.”
Williams said that misrepresentations about crime can harm Belize’s reputation internationally. “He calls himself a patriotic man. But when you do things that lie about your country, lie about the state of security in your country, you’re doing your country a disservice,” he explained, adding “people on international world who may want to come to Belize and they see your interview, they see your comments will not want to come because they fear that when they come to Belize.”
Williams pointed to positive developments in crime trends, noting a significant decrease in violence, particularly in Belize City and the Cayo District, which have previously been impacted by gang-related crime. “Since the SOE, we saw a significant decrease of crime, particularly gang violence,” he said.
