It was a dramatic display at today’s police press conference as officers unveiled a haul of high-powered rifles, ammunition, cannabis, and cocaine—all seized during ongoing operations under the State of Emergency (SOE). The Belize Police Department says the crackdown is yielding results, with a significant number of illegal weapons and drugs taken off the streets. But not everyone is convinced. For years, there’s been speculation that some criminal figures are handing over weapons and drugs in exchange for their freedom, a kind of quiet deal to avoid charges. Today, we put that question directly to the Commissioner of Police Doctor Richard Rosado. His response? A firm and vehement denial. “That is absolutely not happening,” he told reporters.
Supt. Jeff Gabourel, Commander, GI3
“We seized ten nine-millimeter pistol, one point twenty-five pistol, one point thirty-eight revolver, two shotguns and one two point two-three rifles. In respect to ammunition, we seized fifteen forty caliber rounds of ammunition and ninety-seven nine mm ammunition. In respect to cannabis, three thousand three hundred and twenty-six grams of cannabis was seized and nine hundred and ninety-seven grams of cocaine was seized.”
Richard Rosado
Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police
“First of all I want to reaffirm our commitment to transparency and upholding the rule of law. Any alleged suggestion that police are lenient to violent offenders is inaccurate and just an attempt to disregard the dedicated efforts of our police officers and the integrity of operations. Many of the firearms that were seized were based on the extensive interviews conducted and based on those information operations were conducted.”
At the start of the latest State of Emergency, police swept up one hundred and eighteen individuals for questioning. But now, only forty-nine remain behind bars at the Belize Central Prison, leaving many to wonder: what happened to the rest? Today, the Commissioner of Police Doctor Richard Rosado addressed that very question. He explained that while many were initially detained, not all had enough evidence against them to justify extended detention under the SOE.
Richard Rosado
Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police
“Individuals are just detained. We started with a hundred and eighteen individuals detained and after the extensive and rigorous interview only forty nine detention order was issued. If there is no merit or after we asses the material if there is no evidence for us to keep them longer they are released. The primary objective is to allow investigators to conduct their investigation without hindrance from the criminal elements and our main objective is to ensure we solve those violent crimes without any hindrance.”
Commissioner of Police Doctor Richard Rosado is yet to indicate if the state of emergency will be extended after the first month expires. We will continue to follow.
From the streets of Belmopan to the negotiation table at the House of Culture, the Joint Union Negotiating Team brought their demands straight to the government on Tuesday afternoon. At the top of their list: an eight-and-a-half percent salary adjustment to help offset frozen increments and the rising cost of living driven by inflation. Inside the meeting room, the Briceño administration sent in a high-powered team—Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, Education Minister Oscar Requena, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Christopher Coye, to lead the talks. Outside, a small but determined group of union members staged a peaceful protest, keeping the pressure on. After five hours of intense discussions, a proposal was finally placed on the table. Both sides agreed to take it back for further review. The outcome of these talks could shape the future of public sector pay, and tensions remain high as workers wait to see if their demands will be met.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Backed by a wave of support from Friday’s demonstration in Belmopan, the Joint Union Negotiating Team (JUNT) entered the House of Culture on Tuesday afternoon with renewed energy and a clear message: it’s time for action. Leading the charge for educators was Belize National Teachers’ Union President Nadia Caliz, who took on the tough task of representing teachers at the table. With public officers and educators united, the unions made it clear they’re not backing down.
Nadia Caliz
Nadia Caliz, President, Belize National Teachers Union
“Very positive, very optimistic and we are not backing down. If you notice, I am happy to see my teachers. I am pleased. Let us hope when I come out it is exactly what they want or more.”
Tuesday’s meeting between the Joint Union Negotiating Team and the government followed a set agenda, but not everyone was happy with the order of business. Salary adjustments and increments, the unions’ top concerns, were placed low on the list. Instead, discussions kicked off with committee reports and talks on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. As the hours wore on, union reps stepped out of the meeting room, twice, to huddle in private. We later learned they were weighing proposals and counterproposals, signaling that the talks were anything but routine.
Nadia Caliz
“It was cordial, until we got to a point where the demands of the workers were not taken seriously, and I had to let them know, because for me we have a mandate to strike, I had to let them know that as of today I am sending out what I need to send out. We all had to caucus after that, because the members don’t want to hear anything other than their demands. So they caucus, we caucus and they made a proposal and that is what we are going to take back to membership.”
How can union members make an informed decision on a government proposal that hasn’t even been put in writing? With only verbal exchanges and no official document to review, union leaders are left in a tough spot, expected to consult their members on terms that haven’t been clearly laid out. It’s a sticking point that could stall progress and raise concerns about transparency in the negotiation process.
Cordel Hyde
Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister
“I think we had a very constructive meeting, we discussed the issues in length and I think we reached some level of overstanding. Of course, these things are subject to agreement of Cabinet and agreement of the membership of the unions.”
Oscar Requena, Minister of Education
“I do not want to speak to the specifics because we do have our proposal. We need to go back to Cabinet and thereafter we will be able to speak to the specifics.”
The Public Service Union may have called Tuesday meeting a success—but not everyone was convinced. PSU President Dean Flowers told reporters the session went well, but behind the scenes, there was visible pushback from within. During a Tuesday night Zoom call with P.S.U. members, Union Senator Glenfield Dennison didn’t hold back, writing in the chat: “Government killed our movement with one meeting. My two cents.”
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“I believe we had a very respectful meeting as we always do. While we can get emotional at times, respect is always maintained. We went into that room with a mandate from our collected membership. We did waver with that demand. We stuck it out. The Cabinet subcommittee considered the request and made an offer. They now go back to get the endorsement for that offer. Once Cabinet endorses that offer and our membership accepts that offer when it is presented, we will all be in a very good place. But I can say today was a successful round of negotiations for the most part.”
The standoff has reached a boiling point, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Will teachers accept the government’s latest offer? Or will they hit the streets in a bold two-day national shutdown? The answer could shape the public service’s immediate future and it’s coming soon. Reporting for News Five I am Paul Lopez.
The clock is ticking. Teachers across Belize have officially put the Briceño administration on notice, they’re prepared to strike within twenty-one days if ongoing negotiations with the government fall apart. The warning comes from the Belize National Teachers Union, which has been in talks with the government over unresolved issues. Speaking on Open Your Eyes this morning, B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz emphasized that the notice is a legal requirement before any industrial action can take place.
Nadia Caliz
Nadia Caliz, President, Belize National Teachers Union
“I have to notify government and managements of our intent to engage in a strike action. We have to start the whole thing with the twenty-one days. That’s something that I have to do. I have to. I’ve been given a mandate so I have to do that starting today. While that is in process, we are negotiating. If the demands of the membership are met then there’s no need for us to engage in all of that. Now level two determines their response to our counter, so it’s not jumping straight into level two because, like I said, we have started to negotiate. They have not heard our counter, so why should we go to level two? And that is what my membership needs to understand.”
Are ghost workers haunting the government’s payroll? That’s the burning question from the Public Service Union, as concerns grow over Belize’s ballooning wage bill. Union leaders say it’s time to shine a light on where the money is really going and whether some of it is being paid to people who don’t work. On Tuesday, PSU President Dean Flowers turned up the heat, publicly challenging government CEOs to come clean about their stance on ghost workers. He didn’t stop there, he also called out Transport CEO Chester Williams, the former Commissioner of Police, urging him to act.
Dean Flowers, President, P.S.U.
“Dah unu the financial secretary the reward, dah unu the prime minister the reward. That is the conversation. Bring all of them in a room and tell them let us open up Smart Stream to see how much you responsible for C.E.O. Dian, how much you responsible. Chester, I have a special message to the former commissioner of Police, you just took over ministry, youth and sports, even though it has been split, it was transport, youth and sports under the honorable Ferguson. No other than the former commissioner is there. I am waiting for him to face the Belizean public and tell them that he has opened an investigation. And if the former commissioner refuses to do that, because his minister is talking a good talk on the media. I am yet for him to say he has commissioned an audit of youth and sports and I am challenging the honorable Daly and Mahler to do the audit. That is one ministry, when the time is right we will speak about the other ministries. I want to call the former commissioner out because he is also an attorney and if he is not serious then he has no business being a CEO if he will not hold those beneath him accountable.”
With a twenty-one-day notice before the Belize National Teachers’ Union is set tostrike, union leaders say their latest sit-down with the government felt different, in a good way. Following Tuesday’s negotiations, P.S.U. President Dean Flowers and B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz expressed cautious optimism, calling the meeting one of the least heated in recent memory. As details of the discussion begin to surface, so does pushback from union members and the wider public. Some are questioning whether the outcome truly reflects the demands on the ground, and whether enough progress was made to call off the looming strike.
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“I think in terms of us have been here before, it had to do with the ten percent salary cut and the economic impact it had, not only on our members, but the wider Belizean community. So, those meetings were very tough, in my view, tougher than the meetings we had today. The actions taken three or four years ago had far reaching implications that we are still wheeling from and recovering today. And today we were able to demonstrate to the government that dah nuh only three increments we lose mih breda, you have to compound that. We demonstrated to them that one single public officer at the age of twenty would have lost ninety thousand dollars over his or her career.”
Nadia Caliz
Nadia Caliz, President, Belize National Teachers Union
“They have agreed for us sit down every year to look at inflation and based on that formula we will be adjusting salaries. We don’t have to be on the streets lobbying, advocating for an increase. That is what is different this time around.”
As the government grapples with a ballooning wage bill, union leaders are making one thing clear: that’s not their burden to carry. Prime Minister John Briceño has pointed out that a large chunk of government spending goes toward paying teachers and public servants, a concern as salary negotiations continue. But the Joint Union Negotiation Team isn’t losing sleep over it. According to Sharon Frazer, President of the Association of Public Service Senior Managers, the unions are focused on fair compensation, not the government’s budgeting woes.
Sharon Frazer
Sharon Frazer, President, A.P.S.S.M.
“You have to understand that we don’t hire anybody, successive governments have come in and they have done the hiring, so that from what we have seen, although nobody has given us the actual figure in terms of how many persons are employed by the government of Belize, particularly within the public sector, at the end of the day they are doing the hiring, so if it is bloated, if there are ghost workers, they are responsible. We wouldn’t take any responsibility for that and we agree they should not be spending money and not getting value for money. That is why we are here. Part of our collective bargaining has to do with performance, having to do with being accountable, ensuring we give government value for money. At the end of the day I don’t want anybody to feel this is all about money. We recognize. I don’t want anybody to think we are condoning a bloated government, a bloated public service, a bloated anything. In fact, we want, we have been asking for the numbers, we have been asking how many people are employed by government. They are the ones not giving it to us. In fact I will tell you today, brother Dean was saying he was prepared to resign to go look for those persons. That is what he said.”
The voices calling for government accountability just got louder and older. Retired public officers across Belize stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight this morning, demanding respect and recognition from the Government of Belize. Gathering in Battlefield Park and other key locations nationwide, members of the Association of Beneficiaries and Retired Public Officers made it clear: they’re not sitting quietly on the sidelines. Their message? “We refuse to be forgotten or left behind.” This bold move comes on the heels of last week’s fiery national demonstration in Belmopan, where tensions between union members and the government reached a boiling point. Now, retirees are adding their weight to the growing movement, standing shoulder to shoulder with active public servants in a united call for better treatment. Here’s Britney Gordon with the following report.
Burndina Eck
Burndina Eck, Retired Public Officer
“Look at the walking stick there. Look at the wheelchair behind me. Many of ushave to, you know, limp our wheel out here and we still haven’t gotten our money and we are hungry. We need to eat.”
Britney Gordon, Reporting
As union workers across Belize continue to demand fair wages and respect, a powerful new voice has joined the call, retired public officers who say they’ve waited long enough. For more than thirty years, they’ve been asking the government to pay up two years’ worth of salary increments that were frozen back in 1995. Now, with national momentum building around workers’ rights, they’re making it known that their struggle is far from over.
Glenfield Dennison
Glenfield Dennison, Senator, National Trade Union Congress of Belize
“This cause is one where former public officers who have given their entire lives and career to the service of the government and people of Belize are literally dying before they are able to collect on a benefit that is there. Is this trust has been set up for so long and they have not been benefiting. And so the cry, the cry of these retired public officers are simply this, listen, we are ill, we are ailing. Our colleagues have died, and we need the proceeds and the benefits of this trust. And so I think that cause is a cause that anyone who would just process it would have to get behind.”
Over eight million dollars meant for retired public officers is sitting untouched in a trust and the retirees say it’s time to hand it over. The money is currently held by the Public Service Workers Trust, but the Association of Beneficiaries and Retired Public Officers is calling for the trust to be dissolved and the funds distributed. They say they’ve waited long enough. But there’s a legal snag. Prime Minister John Briceño says the government’s hands are tied because a subgroup of retirees has taken the matter to court. That group, known as the Jenetty group, is holding up the process, according to the Association’s interim vice president, Lizbeth Castillo.
Lizbeth Castillo
Lizbeth Castillo, Interim VP, Association of Beneficiaries & Retired Public Officers
“I am not that liberty to say what they actually intend to do, but would think that between the Jenetty group and the government, they can come to some sort of agreement between themselves. So that we can pass, go past that stage. I do understand what the Prime Minister says that it’s before the court. Yes, it’s, but if he promises the Jenetty group, I will think that he will definitely de do a dissolution of the trust and do it in writing. That probably might be sufficient for them to drop that case, but we can’t have people just uttering words. Because words mean absolutely nothing if you have nothing in writing.”
He may not be owed a cent, but Glenfield Dennison is standing tall with those who are. The senator for the National Trade Union Congress of Belize has thrown his support behind the Association of Beneficiaries and Retired Public Officers in their ongoing battle for justice. He emphasized the need to deliver these funds quickly as more of them continue to die.
Glenfield Dennison
“If the country is doing so well, why people noh di feel it. I don’t know what bubble the elected officials are living in, but it’s not the reality of the masses, and so I fear that it’s a situation where it’s the elected leaders and the CEOs who are directly linked to the political directorate, who are living in this vacuum where they alone see such a wonderful country and are living such a beautiful benefit when people are telling you, I don’t understand inflation, you know, but I understand my money noh enough.”
As of today, sixty-five of the beneficiaries have passed away before receiving their owed funds in the Belize District alone. Britney Gordon for News Five.
The Association of Beneficiaries and Retired Public Officers also publicly demonstrated in four other districts this morning.
Belize’s towns just got a major facelift, not in buildings, but on the map. All eight towns, including San Pedro and the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, now have new boundaries. The changes officially took effect on April first through a series of statutory instruments, marking a big step in how Belize plans for the future. This re-delineation process started back in 2012, with consultations involving key stakeholders. Now, more than a decade later, the updated town limits are designed to keep up with urban growth and bring better services to fast-growing communities on the outskirts. From improved infrastructure to more efficient public services, the goal is to make sure no one gets left behind as towns expand. In this episode of The Five Point Breakdown, we take a closer look at what these changes mean for residents, local leaders, and the future of municipal development.
Marion Ali, Reporting
For the first time in thirty years, the official boundaries of Belize’s towns are being redrawn, a move that’s reshaping not just how towns look, but how they grow. From Punta Gorda to San Pedro, the map of Belize is getting a long-overdue update. The process began with community consultations all the way back in 2012, involving residents and key stakeholders in areas set to be affected. Under the Briceño administration, the work has finally begun. The goal? To reflect the real growth happening on the ground and ensure that expanding communities get the services and infrastructure they need. It’s a big change, and one that’s been a long time coming.
What is the Delineation Process?
Florencio Marin Jr
Florencio Marin Jr, Minister of Local Government
“The leadership of Minister of Requena and the team that was there did countrywide consultations with the municipals, the different municipals with the different stakeholders, with the buffering villages. They tried to do a full, comprehensive consultation to be able to get that when they come with a plan now it encompasses all the requirements.”
Statutory instruments for all eight municipalities have been put in place to formally get on with the process, which includes continued consultations. But why is re-delineation necessary in the first place? The Minister of Local Government, Florencio Marin, shares the reason.
Purpose of Delineation:
Florencio Marin Jr
“It has become important because I believe from around the, we have not had any delineation of our municipal boundaries.”
Marion Ali
“What does it mean politically?”
Florencio Marin Jr
“To be able to provide better services to where the towns are already providing services because the municipals do garbage collection, they maintain the streets, they help provide for the different utilities, when in a village the village council doesn’t have all those powers to do so.”
The map of Orange Walk Town just got a little bigger, and so did its responsibilities. As part of a nationwide re-delineation effort, all eight municipalities in Belize now have clearly defined new borders. For Orange Walk, that means three nearby communities — Petville, San Lorenzo Housing Site, and Ann Gabourel — are officially being brought into the town’s limits.
What Shapes a New Municipality
Ladrick Sheppard
Ladrick Sheppard, Mayor, Orange Walk Town
“Many people are tired of seeing dust blowing in their house. Many – sometimes when it rains, the water goes inside their house. We’ll be working on a draining system, and again, the garbage as well too. You have the garbage outside, pile it up there. It doesn’t look good, you have to be burning it, which is sometimes illegal. So all these things are essential services that we’ll be giving to these people. So it’s a huge plus for them.”
These areas have long existed in a gray zone, not quite villages and not officially part of the town. But with no village councils in place, Orange Walk Mayor Ladrick Sheppard says it’s time they receive the attention and services they deserve. Some communities are still finding their place on the map — others are ready to redraw it. While Belize’s re-delineation process is bringing small, unzoned areas into clearer focus, it’s also shining a spotlight on villages that have outgrown their labels. One standout? Ladyville.
Bernardo Bennett
Bernardo Bennett, Chairman, Ladyville Village
“Ladyville has the three necessary components and more that would qualify a community or a village to be declared a town, because we do have a full operation police station has about 80 plus police officers that go on rotation and shifts and stuff for Ladyville Formation itself. We do have a community center/ health center that works Monday to Friday and Saturdays. Now with the lobbying efforts and with the size of community, we have a full-fledged NHI clinic. Also we have a full-fledged fire station here in Ladyville itself. And of course, when you look on components, economic activities, we are bustling. Jobs here are not really short like that. We have the Belikin factory, the Coca-Cola plant. We have the international airport, we have BATSUB. We have the B.D.F. Camp and other businesses, supermarkets. We have gas stations.”
Ladyville also has three primary schools and a high school and most of its streets have been upgraded with hot mix. Chairman Bernardo Bennett says many residents are also clamoring for Ladyville to become its on town. And with that declaration will come more autonomy.
Townships Are Autonomous
Bernardo Bennett
“Working a community, dealing with issues takes resources and the only resources we have so far we getting is the like license fees. And that fees basically goes to taking care of the public spaces. And here in Ladyville we have a lot of public spaces. We have like five parks, two sporting complex, basically the cemetery and we have to basically clean those places once a month, sometime every month and a half to make sure they’re clean and maintained and that costs. So right now for myself, we’re hoping that the amendment to the trade Licensing Act comes into effect later this year in October so we can see what kind of revenue base that will be, and then from there, work your budget so that we can attend to the issues that the residents are asking.”
The discussion for Ladyville, according to Minister Marin, is a relevant one at the Cabinet level.
A Future for Ladyville As a Town
Florencio Marin Jr
“Yes, we’ve had some discussion of this in Cabinet about the different sizes of villages. Like for example, I know there are certain villages that only have about three hundred voters, versus Ladyville, which I believe they’re way past – they’re huge. I mean, clearly they can’t be treated or governed the same way. So I mean, this has to become part of the public discourse and then depending on our Cabinet guides us is how the ministry will look at it.”
Could Orange Walk Town soon become Orange Walk City? If its current growth is any indication, the answer might be yes, and sooner than you think. Marion Ali for News Five.
A heartbreaking turn in the search for Moises Garbutt, the Roaring Creek resident who vanished three days ago. Police now believe a body found off the George Price Highway on Tuesday may be his. Garbutt was last seen on the night of May eleventh, the eve of his birthday, after attending a party in his village. Witnesses say he left the event in a vehicle with three other people and then disappeared without a trace. Today, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero told reporters that while the body has not yet been officially identified, investigators strongly suspect it is Garbutt. Confirmation is expected following a postmortem examination.
“ On Tuesday, police visited an area off the George Price Boulevard and saw thedecomposed body of a male person. We suspect it is the missing person, MosesGarbutt. We have to conduct a DNA test to confirm that since the body isdecomposed. Information is that he was at a birthday party with several otherpersons. Thereafter, he left in an SUV with three persons and thereafter he wasreported missing. Investigations into this report continues.”
Reporter
“The birthday party was in Roaring Creek?”
Hilberto Romero
“Correct.”
Paul Lopez
“Any suspects?”
Hilberto Romero
“There are several persons who are seeking; some persons are also in custody.”
The discovery has sent shockwaves through the Roaring Creek community, as loved ones await answers and justice. Police have already detained a few suspects.
