ComPol Slams Opposition for ‘Misleading’ Crime Data in Belize

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.