ComPol Responds to AG’s Opinion on DeAndre Reid’s Dismissal

The Belize Advisory Council has received a Notice of Appeal from the attorney representing DeAndre Reid, the former Police Constable dismissed for using excessive force when he fatally shot the Governor General’s pet dog. Reid was charged with discharging a firearm without authorization after the incident in May 2024. Reid, through his attorney, is exercising his right under Section Twenty-five of the Police Act, challenging Commissioner of Police Chester Williams’ decision to dismiss him from the Belize Police Department. The notice was sent to the council in September last year. Last week, the Attorney General’s Ministry wrote to the council, pointing out a procedural irregularity and a breach of Reid’s right to due process. They found that Reid should have been given five days to decide whether to plead guilty or not after being served with a disciplinary form. On Monday, Williams responded to the appeal against him.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“ I have read the  opinion  and I disagree with certain aspect of it. And I think that to some extent the learned Council from the AG Ministry was not privy to all information when he wrote that opinion because one, when we have breaches of our disciplinary code, we don’t need to issue a notice of complaint. Like, for example, if a police officer is found sleeping on duty is absent from duty, intoxicated whilst on duty, discharging firearm without the permission of the Commissioner of Police, those are our internal infractions. So once a police officer commits one of those infractions, there is no need for a notice of complaint. Notice of complaint would apply in situations where a member of the public comes to the police, professional standard branch, and make a complaint against a police officer.  On the basis of that then, professional standard branch is going to write the police officer, notify him of the complaint, and ask him to respond within so much days why this action should not be taken against him or her. Those are the instances where. We would normally issue notice of complaint. It’s just like when we deal with the criminal aspect of the law. If the police find a person with unlicensed firearm with drugs committing a traffic infraction, this utterly behavior, the police don’t need an arrest warrant to arrest you. But if done public comes to the police and make a complaint against you that you wo them or what you’re committed, a robbery or burglary, the police have to investigate, then issue a warrant for your arrest before they get arrested. So it’s the same principle that applied.”