Addressing Crime

When we caught up with Minister Musa today we also asked for an update on his ministry’s plan to address the spike in violence in Belize City. Minister Musa noted there are several measures already in place. He sought to assure the public that the Ministry is working to address the issue, and will continue to do so.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

Kareem Musa

“It has been an issue and a concern for decades in our country particularly in marginalised communities in Belize City. And so, it is not that loved one are being buried, six months, three months. It has been years, more than thirteen years that loved one have been having to bury their family members. And so, it is a problem we must face. And it is a problem that the police department cannot do so on its own. We recently made a decision to relocate precinct one into the heart of one of these areas that is having the flare-ups currently. So by next week or the week after we should be having our grand opening for precinct one. And so there is a greater presence in the area, but again that is not to solve the crime issue. That is just to hold it down. At the end of the day, we need to get our young men into social programs, into education program, programs that are going to give them opportunities. That is the true and only way out of this pandemic that we are facing with crime at the moment. We look at it from a perspective of a short-term goal which is to get our officers out there. It involves a lot of community intervention by the police department and those that are serious about tackling crime. It involves greater patrols in the area. The last thing we would want to do is declare a state of emergency. That is the last thing we want to do, but it is not one we look to immediate. And we are trying our very best to work on that. But at the end of the day we must look long term.”