Woman Demands Justice for Boyfriend Detained Under S.O.E.

It’s been about twenty-four hours since the Government of Belize declared a state of emergency and already, there have been several complaints about the police department’s execution of this order. An S.O.E. is enacted during periods of heightened criminal activity that threatens citizen security. The S.O.E. permits police officers to target known gang members through a series of house raids, arrests and detentions. However, Monique Teck, a resident of Antelope Street, says that her boyfriend, Kurtis Lamb, has been picked up twice by officers during the S.O.E., despite him not having previous charges of being a member of a gang. She spoke with us today to explain her frustration with the process.

 

 

Voice of: Monique Teck, Partner of Detained

“Several times I go da the ombudsman, go make report, go make complaint against the department, and I get nothing done. Two states a bap, ney ker my gentlemen. When I make a report, nothing. Now Monday they come da my house seh they want he fi P.I. murder. Which P.I. murder? Who do murder? Weh kind of murder he do? Alright, nothing they can’t explain to you as to why they fi ker he ney just say P.I. murder. Gone da the police station, they say he wah spent wa forty-eight. When the forty-eight done, ten thirty, the police come and ney ker ah. I noh get no call, nothing as to why ney ker him da jail. I get call from a policeman weh know me and tell me, gyal, he said ney done ker up your bwai. Ih done deh da dih station. I think it really unfair because ney dih enable ney bwai. You understand me. The one weh dih do the schupidness, he noh dih send up but da dih innocent one.”

 

Britney Gordon

“So last time when he was taken during the last S.O.E., how long did it take for him to get released and did they ever tell you why he was taken?”

 

Monique Teck

“Ih mih tek wah month. Up to now, we no as to know why ney mih ker he none at all. Ney mih tell yo, we dih carry up everybody for S.O.E. due to the shooting and the different thing. What happened da Antelope Street? Nothing. The one there, back at Martins, ney dih let go ney. So how could you wah dih do your job and you dih half-step your job? You dih ker people neem dih do nothing. Ih really unfair. It’s frustrating. Really frustrating. I gone upstairs ah Racoon Street, gone mek a report gone mek wa formal report. Ney tell me my house da gang yaad. Which gang? Nobody neva yet get charge for being a member of a gang deh. If you check by bwai sheet, he neem got wa charge sheet. How come ney dih ker you for S.O.E. and you neem have wa gang charge.”