We also asked Prime Minister John Briceño to weigh in on the current state of the Belize Police Department. There were no mentions of any reforms to the department in his State of the Nation address. Considering the recent death of twenty-six-year-old Daniel Cal and other reports of alleged police abuse, PM Briceño was asked for his thoughts on ways in which the department can improve its service to the nation. Here is how he responded.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“It is important for me to put on record, the tremendous work that minister Musa has been doing. If you don’t know, over a hundred police have been interdicted or fired for whenever there is any feeling of misconduct, or their behaviors are unbecoming of a police officer. So, he is trying his utmost best and so has the commissioner of police. We have been doing a lot of training. We also added a lot of counseling to these police men and women because they are under tremendous stress when they are out in the streets. I have seen it before…When you are at a party or out drinking and they are trying to break a fight and people are hitting them in the back. They are humans and whenever they would respond, somebody would say, oh police brutality. Not suggesting it does not happen. I am just trying to explain the environment which police officers work in. I think we need to look at where we were and where we are today. Do we have more to do? A lot more, a lot more training has to be done. We have to work on changing the culture of the police department. On this issue you mentioned, it is very unfortunate. Quite likely in insight you have twenty, twenty vision. Somebody should have contacted the family to say, hey something is wrong. I am told they have taken out the report to show that while he had some bruises he died from, it seems he was an alcohol and other medial issues and not necessarily from police brutality. But one it to a prisoner is one too much. It should not be tolerated.”
Police Inspector Christopher Martinez was recently handed a five-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to wounding detainee Aaron Flowers. The jail time follows a report filed by Flowers alleging that he was beaten over the head with a padlock. Martinez also claims that Flowers injured him, resulting in the officer being charged for common assault. The conflict allegedly stemmed from claims that Flowers had fired shots at Martinez’s home, prompting him to retaliate while Flowers was in police custody. We spoke with Commissioner of Police Chester Williams about instances of police abusing their power over detainees. He told us that while he believes that the sentence is excessive, it sends a message for other officers in the force.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Mister Martinez took full responsibility for what he did. I believe that he came to the realization that he was wrong and he got guilty to the charge. I personally believe that the sentence is excessive in nature. It’s a matter for him to decide if he’s going to appeal the sentence or not. And I hope that police officers are watching. Again, we’re seeing a number of instances where police officers are being accused of committing different types of crimes. And they will see that the court system is not plain when it comes to police. We start with Kareem Martinez where we saw an unusual sentence likewise excessively high and then now we have Martrinez. It’s Something for police to watch out to look at to make sure that they don’t commit themselves.”
On Monday, we told you about Hersel Garcia, the Belize City police officer who was caught on video trying to pawn two stolen chains valued at twenty and thirty thousand dollars. The jewelry belongs to American firefighter Gilbert Lightburn Junior, who was caught in an altercation a few weeks ago at Shisha Nightclub. Lightburn was charged for the attempted murder of three individuals after he stabbed them, however, he claims that he was robbed that night and reported over fifty-seven thousand dollars’ worth of items missing. An investigation was launched into officer Garcia who was caught on surveillance footage with the items. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams tells us that police have yet to locate all the missing items.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“According to the complainant in this case, the same guy who spoke about the firefighter, he was involved in an issue at Shisha nightclub in Belize city. And during that process he lost two chains, I think one was valued seventy-five thousand dollars an at eight ounce gold chain. And subsequent to that, he made a report to the police and police went and checked the pawn shops. And at a particular pawn shop in Belize City, the police were shown a video which depict the police officer going to that pawn shop to pawn that gold chain that belongs to the firefighter. Based on that, the police did what needed to be done and the police officer was arrested for handling stolen goods.”
Reporter
“It was only the one chain he was carrying?”
Chester Williams
“Yes. He was, the chain was not found with him. When he was detained by the police, he had disposed of the chain and we have not been able to recover it.”
Last week, a domestic dispute in Belize City took a dangerous turn when a police officer allegedly fired her boyfriend’s service weapon at him. She is twenty-nine-year-old Jeneah Arzu, who is accused of firing a shot at fellow police officer Kendale Nunez during an altercation. Nunez filed a report against her but would later drop the charges. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams says that they will proceed with charging Arzu for firing a gun in a public space and that the department is looking at solutions to address the misuse of weapons issued to officers.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I know that the police officer was charged, the female officer was charged and the charge was subsequently withdrawn by her common law husband. And I had since given instruction that she must not be charged for discharging a firearm in public. We don’t need the evidence on the common law in terms of that. And so the police will be proceeding in that manner in respect to the woman officer who discharged the firearm in that area.”
Reporter
“Minister Musa spoke about how cops receive this type of emotional and religious training because they are dealing with firearms. But that sometimes they are humans and React in that case, do you feel like there’s more training that’s necessary?”
Chester Williams
“It might not be a matter of more training. It’s more a matter of knowing how to control yourself and how to control your own. As human beings we all get excited at times about issues. We tend to overreact over incidences due to our own inner emotions at times. And so we must know how to deal with those. that live within us. It is difficult for some people to control that. I also said to them that we need to take a second look at our firearm policy in terms of who can and who cannot take firearm home. And if we have any police officer who is constantly involved in domestic issue, those police officers must never have a gun at home. Even if it’s a license gun, we’re going to take it away until they can undergo counseling or something to be able to help them to overcome those issues that they are confronted with. And when it comes to our issued firearm we will not issue them none to take home. If they’re working in an area that requires the use of firearm, they’ll get one. When they come after you, they’ll hand that firearm back into the station. So we’re looking at that likewise to make sure that we address this whole issue with police officers misusing firearms.”
We have brought countless features of outstanding individuals to you over the years. Today we attempt to encapsulate the prolific life and contributions of a man who has served Belize in many roles, as educator, musical composer, writer and poet, sports enthusiast, patron of the scouts, and perhaps the role for which he is most endeared – as Belize’s second Governor General. Sir Colville Norbert Young was born on November twentieth, 1932. He received his degrees from the University of the West Indies in 1961 and the University of York in 1971. He married Lady Norma Young in 1956, and their union produced four children: Colville Junior, Maureen, Lynn and Carlton. Before his twenty-eight-year service as Governor General, Sir Colville composed many musical pieces and wrote seven Belizean short stories, including the famous Pataki Full. In this edition of Kolcha Tuesday, we bring you a glimpse of the many contributions of this exemplary Belizean, Sir Colville Young. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
He was appointed as the Governor-General in 1993, taking office on November seventeenth of that year. In 1994, he was knighted with the title of Sir. He held the position of Governor-General for twenty-eight years, until he retired in 2021. But there is so much more to add to the name of Sir Colville Young. His accomplishments and contributions to Belize’s growth and development are many. Those contributions have been made in music, literature, academia, culture, social outreach and sports. For those who didn’t know, Sir Colville was the founding president of Belize’s national university, then known as the University College of Belize, where he was a lecturer until his appointment as Governor General. In 2005, one of the few occasions when he gave a speech, he shared profound thoughts about the issue of poverty and the solution to that problem.
Colville Young
Sir Colville Young, Former Governor General
“My friends, the greatest single cause of human misery on our planet is surely poverty and admittedly, the surest remedy for poverty is economic growth and a fair sharing among the people of our country of the fruits of economic growth.”
During his tenure as Governor General, Sir Colville Young worked with four of Belize’s prime ministers. One of them, Said Musa, whom he taught at Saint Michael’s College, said he simply had to keep Sir Colville as G-G.
Said Musa
Said Musa, Former Prime Minister
“When I became prime minister in 1998, I had to make a decision whether or not to retain Sir Colville. I had no hesitation keeping him as our governor-general because I considered him, and I still do, as a person of high integrity, honesty, and discretion.”
On Sir Colville’s retirement, his second son, Lynn Young, sat down with News Five and shared with us what it was like growing up with Sir Colville as a father.
Lynn Young
Lynn Young, Son of Sir Colville Young
“We had two very good parents, and I think we took it for granted. I think it’s after we grew up then we realized that we really had special parents and perhaps part of it was that they were both teachers, so they both knew how to motivate and they were both good teachers. My father taught both Said Musa and Dean Barrow so my joke with him is he’s responsible for the sad state of politics in Belize sometimes, but that’s another story. (chuckles)”
When Sir Colville was appointed Governor-General of Belize, Lynn and all his siblings were already grown and living their own lives. He said his father did not hesitate to take on the new role in his life.
Lynn Young
“He has a tremendous love for the country. I’d have to say that he came from the kind of make that the George Prices and Philip Goldsons came from. I don’t know what it was around that time, but the country before everything else, right, so if he’s called on to serve, even now when we talk to him about retirement, he was very reluctant because he said he can serve and he felt he should serve. So for him it was not so much the honour but the opportunity to serve and also to make a difference.”
Prior to his retirement, Sir Colville composed several musical pieces, including the folk-opera “Tiger Dead,” the “Ode to Independence,” the Misa Caribeña, and one special piece for the first visit of Queen Elizabeth the Second in 1986, titled Welcome to Belize, Oh Queen Elizabeth. Sir Colville’s love for music was such that he used his office as Governor-General to push the teaching of music in schools. For many years he, donated wind instruments to primary schools across the country. His literary works include Creole Proverbs of Belize, From One Caribbean Corner, and all-time favorites: Pataki Full, Snapshots of Belize and the play, Riding Haas from the Ping Wing Juk Me series. Sir Colville was also a patron of the Scout Association of Belize, who named their new headquarters the Sir Colville N. Young Building. It is an honor fitting for a great Belizean who has etched his mark on so much of the Belizean landscape. Marion Ali for News Five.
Reports of fatal road traffic accidents have increased over the last several weeks. Among those reports is a spike in fatal motorcycle accidents. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams says motorcycles continue to be an issue for traffic enforcement, including police officers. He says the department is looking at the amendment of certain legislation to better regulate motorcyclists.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I really and truly don’t know. What else can the police and the Department of Transport do? We would have to have police at every milepost, or traffic officers at every milepost. Because as much as we do enforcements putting in place checkpoints and highway patrols, when the drivers approach a checkpoint, they slow down. And the minute they’re out of sight of that checkpoint, then their usual bad driving habit. We find that many of these accidents are as a result of drivers not paying attention, driving without you paying attention. Motorcycle continues to be an issue. How we address that I think that we have been able to do a number of sensitizations, even creating flyers on safety tips on these motorcycles. Even that is not helping. It certainly will require that drivers of motor vehicles and riders of motorcycles take more responsibility in ensuring that they exercise more caution in the driving of motor vehicles and the handling of motorcycles. Motorcycle riders at time tend to operate in such a way that they don’t, the rules of the road don’t apply to them. They have a separate rule that apply to them, which is not the case. And in some instances, the drivers of motor vehicle have no regards for motorcycle riders. So it’s a dual issue that we have to look at to see how we can address it. But it certainly raises a serious question if we look at the amount of traffic fatalities we have had this year. It’s a lot. for a small country. And so we need to see what else we can do. We continue to be in dialogue with the Department of Transport. We’re looking at the amendment of some laws to be able to regulate more particularly motorcycle riders. And once those laws are amended, then we see how it goes from there.”
Last Thursday, sixty-one-year-old Ubaldo Guzman was chopped to death at his home in Santa Elena Town. He was killed after a dispute with his drinking partner Peter August. August claimed that he acted out of self-defense, however, this has left family members and friends of Guzman confused as they knew him to have an injured hand. August was subsequently charged with manslaughter. We asked Commissioner of Police Chester Williams for some insight into August’s charge.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I will not go into specifics, but I can say to you that When it comes to a person who has caused the death of another person by unlawful harm, where that person raises the defense of self defense. The police cannot on our own charge. The criminal code dictates that we must send that decision to the DPP office for directives. And in this case, they accuse person raise his self-defense that he was attacked first by Guzman with a match and he was trapped. And he do have a chap wound. And he defended himself, leading to Guzman’s death. Now this is a situation where two persons are in a house. There are no independent witnesses to contradict what the accused killer is saying. And the DPP office would be guided by the evidence before them. In arriving at the decision as to whether to charge for murder or manslaughter. And in this particular case, they opted to charge for manslaughter based on the statement given by the accused killer. And so the police just simply carried out the instructions as given by the DPP office.”
A night of drinking this past weekend took a turn for the worse, resulting in one person being stabbed and hospitalized. On Sunday, Nelson Pascasio filed a report against his friend, Manuel Avila, claiming that he had broken a glass bottle and stabbed him in the abdomen. Pascasio was subsequently rushed to Belize City for treatment and is now in stable condition. ACP Hilberto Romero has the report.
“On Sunday, police responded to our report at Saint George’s Caye where Nelson Pascasio reported that he was at the caye along with another person, Manuel Avila. drinking. They got into an argument at which point Manuel Avila broke a pint and stabbed him to the chest. Both were taken by a coast guard to the Belize city. Where Pascasio was treated and is in a stable condition. Manuel Avila has since been arrested and charged for the crimes of aggravated assault and grievous harm.”
Reporter
“So he was intoxicated?”
Hilberto Romero
“Yeah, they were both intoxicated.”
Reporter
“Do you know what they were arguing about?”
Hilberto Romero
“I’m not sure what they were arguing about.”
Reporter
“But they were friends before then?”
Hilberto Romero
“Yeah they know each other. They were staying at the island.”
Today, the Development Finance Cooperation and the Belize Livestock Producers Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish collaborative assistance to livestock producers nationwide. The MOU seeks to establish climate smart practices among small, medium, and large producers to improve resiliency and sustainability. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more details.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
When you think of iconic Belizean dishes, rice and beans and chicken or cow foot soup may come to mind. Without farmers and ranchers across the country, the food we know, and love may not be accessible to make. That is why the Development Finance Cooperation, and the Belize Livestock Producers Association are partnering to increase support for these valuable members of Belizean society. The Chief Executive Officer of the BLPA, William Usher, tells us about this partnership.
William Usher
William Usher, CEO, Belize Livestock Producers Association
“This partnership signifies a new chapter in the development and modernization of the livestock industry in Belize. An industry that is crucial not only to our economy, but to the livelihoods of thousands of Belizean farmers and ranchers. The livestock industry is critical to Belize’s economy and the livelihood of thousands of Belizean families. Our members are not just producers. They are stewards of the land, custodians of sustainable practices, and contributors to the food security and economic wellbeing of our nation. Since its establishment in 1977, BLPA has been committed to the growth and sustainability of the livestock sector, from implementing the Belize National Sanitary Cattle Plant Project, which paved the way for our National Traceability System, to improving the to represent over 7000 cattle farmers with a total herd of nearly two hundred thousand animals. We have worked tirelessly to ensure that Belize’s livestock industrymeet both domestic needs and international standards.”
One of the key components of the MOU is resilience, as industry stakeholders work towards overcoming challenges such as climate change, fluctuating market conditions, and evolving environmental regulations.
William Usher
“These solutions, such as the climate resilient cattle loans, are expected to directly address the financial gap many small, medium and large farmers, ranchers face, but financing alone is not enough. This partnership also emphasizes capacity building and technical assistance, where BLP and DFC will work together to educate farmers on climate smart practices and modern herd management techniques. In an area of changing climatic conditions. Adopting sustainable farming practices is essential to protecting the environment, ensuring food security and enhancing the resilience of our sector.”
The DFC has committed to stand with livestock producers when threats arise in the industry and meet the needs of the farmers through financing solutions and preventative measures.
Henry Anderson
Henry Anderson, C.E.O., Development Finance Cooperation
“The last time we had to deal with a big threat in this area was back in 1994. And some of the practices that the farmers used to use then have gone. And so we may have to get ready to rebuild that. So we’re signaling that we realize that. And we are prepared to work and to see what DFC can do. Because we’re a development finance institution, We have a level of flexibility and patience and to be able to give forbearance where it’s needed to work through situations. So that is a strength that we bring. So as you said William, we see this as an opportunity to grow. We see it as a relationship. It’s not a piece of paper and w e look forward to celebrate milestones with, one of the ultimate milestones being to see that we have an industry that’s net zero.”
In his address, Prime Minister John Briceño announced that the Fiscal Incentives Act and the Designated Processing Areas programs have been updated to expand the range of eligible MSMEs. During his interview, PM Briceño explained that this is being done to encourage more MSMEs to transition from the informal to the formal sector.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I have been mentioning that several times when I introduced it to the House. What we want to do is that many small businesses become a part of the informal sector. They don’t register with the Belize Tax Service, they don’t register with Social Security, because they feel like they get nothing in return. What we have done, we have made it easier for them to be able to register through BELTRAIDE. We have made the forms much easier, but also as an incentive we say if you register we can give you tax exemptions on your goods that you need to import for up to four years and a total of one million dollars. So, we have been saying that for some time and basically that si what we are doing. For instance, if you are a small entrepreneur doing hot sauce, you could import your bottles duty free, if you are registered under the MSME program. We also said that we will give you an exemption form a y fees or penalties you have to pay because you are not registered. We are doing all that to encourage them to move from the informal sector into the formal sector.”
