The entire Cabinet shares the outrage of the Belizean people at the incident which occurred at the San Ignacio Community Hospital on June 1. Cabinet is grateful that medical practitioners, staff and patients were not harmed by those criminal elements who stormed the facility. Decisive action has been taken.
Instructions have been issued, firstly, for the escalation of the operation to round up not only those persons who participated in the attack on our medical facility and staff, but ALL gang elements operating in San Ignacio and Santa Elena.
Secondly, Cabinet has offered its full support to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Belize Police Department as they launch an intensive operation to address the security concerns of businesses in Santa Elena and San Ignacio. Instructions have been given for an internal assessment of the Police Command and structure in that jurisdiction, with a view to making any changes necessary.
Finally, Cabinet has directed that teams from the Ministry of Health & Wellness, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, conduct an immediate assessment of security protocols at the San Ignacio Community Hospital and all public health facilities. The safety of medical practitioners, staff and patients MUST be always assured.
Mynor Galindo, the brother of David Galindo, a prominent gang figure, who was fatally shot recently, says that the Belize Police Department and the media are spreading misinformation.
It is reported that following David’s shooting, he was rushed to the San Ignacio Community Hospital for emergency care. It is also reported that several of David’s gang affiliates arrived at the hospital, threatening doctors and nurses there. They reportedly told the doctors that David needed to be saved or else they would be murdered.
On Monday, Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters he was appalled at what happened.
“I am appalled by it, I must say. I got a call the following morning from a doctor, the head doctor at the Western Regional Hospital and right away I put him on to Ms. Anderson who is the Western Regional Commander and the matter was addressed. The police went to the area, statements were recorded, photographs were taken, the scene was processed and police have gathered video footage as well. So we know exactly who the persons are that are responsible. From then to now, we have not been able to locate those persons. One of the persons of concern is, I think, Minor Galindo, he’s one of them. Since then, he has not been seen in the San Ignacio area. We understand that he had fled somewhere. The fact that his brother had passed away, we believe that that might bring him out of his hole and once he is found then he will be dealt with along with another person who were the two main aggressors at the hospital. But again, we condemn the actions done at the hospital.”
Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, speaking to reporters.
In response to what Williams said and what the media reported, Mynor said in a statement, “No one has been arrested or charged for my brother’s death. Instead, the police are relentlessly pursuing us rather than the actual culprits. Despite providing detailed descriptions of the attackers and their vehicles to the authorities, there has been no discernible progress in the investigation. The authorities have utterly neglected their duty to ensure our safety and have instead harassed our family, baselessly accusing us of involvement in criminal activities.”
David Galindo, Murder Victim
“We have received no support or justice from the authorities, and the media has perpetuated false narratives, The true perpetrators remain at large while we are wrongfully targeted. We demand a thorough and impartial investigation into the attacks on our lives and my brother’s murder. Additionally, we call for the media and the Police to rectify their false reports falsely labeling me and my family as part of a gang, despite no actual affiliation and accurately represent our situation. It is imperative that justice prevails and that the true perpetrators are brought to account.”
San Ignacio Community Hospital
Minor says he is determined to correct misinformation spread by the police and media about their family. He says that two weeks ago, he survived an assassination attempt near his home, during which he disarmed a gunman and escaped unharmed despite another gunman firing at him. According to Mynorm, a week later, David, was fatally shot in a drive-by attack involving the same vehicle. He says that this information was shared with police.
This morning, ComPol Williams says he will be meeting with officials from the San Ignacio Community Hospital this afternoon.
Hunter Biden, the eldest living son of the US president, was found guilty on all three felony counts related to purchasing a handgun while being a user of crack cocaine. The verdict came after a weeklong trial in Wilmington, Delaware, featuring intense testimony about his addiction from close relatives. Biden chose not to testify in his defense.
The jury reached its verdict after three hours of deliberation over two days. Hunter Biden received the verdict in court, supported by family members including the first lady, Jill Biden.
President Joe Biden responded, saying, “I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.
Hunter Biden faces a potential maximum sentence of 25 years, although this is more than expected for a first-time offender. No sentencing date has been set.
The Trump campaign called the trial “nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family.”
Hunter Biden was charged with making false statements on a form to buy a Colt revolver in October 2018 by stating he was not addicted to drugs and then illegally owning the gun for 11 days before his sister-in-law, Hallie Biden, disposed of it.
The man charged with cruelty to a child was this morning slapped with two 12-month sentences, which are to run concurrently. In May, thirty-three-year-old Devain Flores was charged with two counts of cruelty to a child. He pleaded guilty to the charges.
The charges came after a video showing him kicking and hitting a three-year-old male child went viral on social media.
The case was prosecuted by the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams.
Earlier this month, Flores appeared in the magistrate’s court for a mitigation plea. He waived his right to call character witnesses after his mother, common-law wife, brother, and another individual failed to appear. Despite being given more time to bring his witnesses, Flores asked the Senior Magistrate to proceed with sentencing, stating he is taking full responsibility for his actions.
Tonight, a police officer is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after being accused of raping a female detainee at the Queen Street Police Station on Friday. It’s a shameful act reportedly carried out by forty-five-year-old Derwin Marin. The police constable was on duty, but had no business interacting with the woman. At some point, P.C. Marin allegedly approached her and offered to release her without charge in exchange for sex. He then proceeded to remove the woman from the holding cell and escorted her to another area of the station where he apparently had intercourse with her. In the wake of the incident, the Belize Police Department wasted no time in taking action against the rogue officer. Criminal and internal investigations are underway and the Commissioner of Police has condemned Marin’s actions. This morning, ComPol Williams appeared before the lower courts during Marin’s arraignment where he objected to bail. It is the second time within a few weeks that the top cop has donned his attorney’s cap to prosecute a matter.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Basically I appeared in court this morning to do the arraignment for the police officer who is charged with the crime of rape which took place at the Queen Street Police Station over the weekend.”
Reporter
“You objected to bail.”
Chester Williams
“Yes, I came to object to bail because we believe that the act is such that the police officer needs to remain in prison until the matter is heard.”
Reporter
“Now, this is a fairly mundane, straightforward prosecution. Why did you feel I important to bring your office to bear on it?”
Chester Williams
“Well I guess it’s the need to show the importance of the case. Like I said before, we have been doing our best to ensure that we rid ourselves of those rogue officers who constantly do things that embarrass the department. My presence here is a strong statement that we are doing what we can to ensure that persons who are aggrieved by the actions of police that they get justice. The person who is the victim was a prisoner in police custody. The investigation revealed that the police officer solicited sex from her in exchange for her release. He subsequently took her outside of her cell block where the act took place. We have secure several statements, as well as video footages that support her allegation.”
Reporter
“Was he aware of the security cameras?”
Chester Williams
“Well he has to be aware of it, every police officer who works at that cellblock area knows that cameras are there.”
Reporter
“Yeah, but did he go to a concealed area or an area outside of view?”
Chester Williams
“Well the cameras would not have captured the act itself, but the camera did pick up when he took her out of the cell and took her to the area where the alleged rape took place.”
P.C. Marin was not authorized to interact with female detainees, so what was he doing that would have brought him into contact with the woman? According to the Commissioner of Police, the victim was in custody along with another woman. Marin’s sole responsibility, as cellblock keeper, was to make sure that the prisoners were attended to while in detention.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“He was just the cellblock keeper, his duty there was just to ensure that the prisoners are okay. If they needed water or anything of that sort, he provided for them, but when it comes to dealing with female prisoners, if any female prisoner needed to have been taken out of the cell, that should not have been his responsibility. That should have been done by a woman police officer. So his action in removing her from the cellblock was wrong and more so, the said that she told him she wanted a cigarette. He even went and got a cigarette for her, and the reason, according to him why she was taken from the cellblock, was to go and smoke a cigarette which, again, is utterly wrong. So we have seen a number of breakdowns in terms of our internal policies that will be addressed likewise. There was another female prisoner in the cellblock and yes, she saw what took place and she did have some concerns and whenever the shift changed and the other officers came on, she was the one who reported first to the police.”
Reporter
“How hard was it to get the victim to make a complaint? We know that maybe she is someone who has been in the cellblock before, you know, she may be intimidated by the situation.”
Chester Williams
“It was not difficult, she was forthcoming and we are very much appreciative of that and this is what we want, that whenever we do have these allegations that people can feel free to come forward so that we can address it. Oftentimes, we hear people say police this and police that, but they are never willing to come forward and give statements. To see that she was brave enough to do so, we are grateful.”
Chester Williams
“When it comes to cases involving police officers, we have to take it very seriously. We are the custodians of the law and when we have people in our care, we must ensure that we do what we can so as not to breach that trust and confidence. The actions of P.C. Marin are such that it is an egregious act of breach of trust and confidence and we must do as best as we can to demonstrate to the public that while this had occurred, that we will do our best to ensure that the officer is held to account forwhat he did.”
A statement issued by the Belize Police Department reads, quote, the ongoing internal investigation aims to determine whether there was any lapse in supervision or neglect of duty that may have allowed this egregious act to occur. The B.P.D. is dedicated to transparency and accountability, ensuring that justice is served and public trust is maintained, end quote.
A Belize City resident was stabbed on Friday night and was also the victim of a vicious beat down at the hands and feet of his attacker. It happened at the intersections of Neal’s Pen Road and Central American Boulevard and despite initial attempts by three police officers who responded to the incident, they were unable to subdue the assailant. The man was able to free himself from the arresting officers and attack his victim, repeatedly kicking and punching him before other officers were called onto the scene. Fortunately, the victim survived the violent attack and is recovering. The question that lingers, nonetheless, is whether the responding officers could have handled the situation differently. According to ComPol Williams, the police exercised great restraint, but he would have went about it differently had he been faced with that situation.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The incident, I must say, is one that really and truly, I don’t know what to say per se, but I saw a situation where the police officers were doing as best as they can to detain an individual who had stabbed another. And as much as the police officers were trying to apprehend that individual, he was consistently resisting and trying to go after that person that he had stabbed. Obviously, his intent was to kill because even though the person was lying on the ground he was stomping the person in the head and the police officers again, while some may criticize them and say that they did not perform their duties the way that they should, I’m not going to go to that extent because sometimes, no matter the training you have, when you confront a situation you tend to forget that training and you just do what you believe can be done in that instance. But if it were me, from the mere fact that the individual had stabbed that person, the person is on the ground and he’s constantly going after that person to try and finish off that person, I would have shot him. Again, the police officers who were there had weapons but they exercised great restraint and I must applaud them for that, even though I would have acted differently. I still endorse their actions in terms of exercising great restraint.”
One man remains hospitalised following a stabbing incident that occurred on Friday night on Central American Boulevard in Belize City.
The incident was the result of an altercation between two men, thirty-seven-year-old Jermaine Grant and forty-two-year-old Windel Anthony. Grant received cuts near the left eye and abrasions to the head.
The incident was caught on camera. The public criticised the police officers who were at the scene for failing to properly control the situation.
When asked about it today, Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters that he would not say that the officers did not perform their duties the way they should.
“Sometimes, no matter the training you have, when you confront a situation, you tend to forget that training and you just do what you believe can be done in that instance.”
Williams says he would have shot the man.
“If it were me, from the mere fact that the individual had stabbed the person, the person is on the ground, and he is constantly going after the person and trying to finish off that person, I would have shot him.”
The police officers at the scene had weapons. Williams applauded them for exceeding great restraint.
This morning, Queen Square Primary and Wesley Upper schools in Belize City were evacuated due to a bomb threat at Wesley Upper School. The schools, located across from each other on Dolphin Street, were quickly cleared by law enforcement, and the all-clear was given within thirty minutes. Parents and guardians were notified to pick up their children.
A parent from Queen Square Primary shared, “I received a text about a bomb threat and came immediately to get my child.” A guardian from Wesley Upper mentioned, “I initially thought it was a false alarm but came to ensure my brother’s safety.” Despite varying levels of concern among parents and guardians, the swift response ensured all students were safe.
The Financial Services Commission of Belize (FSC) has achieved a significant milestone by becoming an associate member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) as of May 20, 2024.
“This milestone marks a significant step in fostering international cooperation in Belize’s financial services sector.”
IOSCO, recognized as the global standard-setter for securities regulation, serves as the leading international policy forum for securities regulators. It is instrumental in developing, implementing, and promoting adherence to internationally recognized standards for securities regulations. By joining IOSCO, the Belize FSC underscores its commitment to upholding these global standards, thereby enhancing investor confidence and promoting market integrity in Belize.
Claude Haylock, Director General and Deputy Chairman of the FSC, welcomed the news, stating, “We are delighted to join IOSCO as an associate member. This membership will enable us to collaborate more closely with global regulators, share valuable insights, and continue to enhance our regulatory environment to meet international benchmarks.”
The Belize FSC is poised to actively participate in IOSCO’s initiatives, contributing to the collective goal of strengthening securities markets worldwide.
