ComPol Addresses Aaron Wilson Detention in Ladyville

Over the weekend, Crown Counsel Riis Cattouse called out the Belize Police Department for “flagrant human rights violation”. Crown Counsel Cattouse wrote to the Commissioner of Police following the detention of Aaron Wilson at the Ladyville Police Station. According to the letter, Wilson visited the police station to inquire about one of his employees who was detained on a traffic charge. Cattouse noted that Wilson was detained while at the police station for alleged boisterous behavior. The letter further notes that Wilson was detained for twenty hours, which Cattouse referred to as a breach of Wilson’s human right. A video surfaced, following the detention that showed Wilson and a female police officer engaged in a back and forth. In the video the officer informed Wilson that he was being detained for disrespecting a police officer. ComPol Williams was asked about the letter and the video today.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I watched the video and the night when Mr. Wilson was released from police custody on bail he reached out to me and sent me the video footage. After viewing them I responded to him and said what I saw does not amount to boisterous behavior. I also advised him to go to the Racoon Street police station to make a report to PSB and that I would have the matter addressed by PSB. I again contacted him yesterday and spoke at length and he said he was going to PSB to make the complaint. I have not checked with PSB if he did go in. You all would know I have a very though stance when it comes to police abuse. And, that is the reason why I do not agree with the statement of the crown council from the DPP office. I think that his statement that he gave to the media, while I agree with some aspects of it, I think it was more defamatory to the police and try to paint the police in such a way that is not true. As members of the media you can say without a doubt that over the years you have seen a tremendous dec4rease in police abuse across the country and that is because of the stance that myself and the minister have taken and even the Human Rights Commission, because he copied the Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Commission can also attest to the fact that the police department has done a lot with them to try and sensitize the police in terms of human right norms and get the police to adhere to these norms and we have gone at length to make sure we train our officers in the different human rights norms. So for Mr. Cattouse to have said that everyday police are violating the rights of people in this country, that is not true. That is a statement that is far from the truth, and I think he should retract that aspect of his statement and with that I would have no issue in terms of what he has wrote, because the truth is as a law enforcement organization there is a need to ensure we do our jobs in a way that does not infringe the rights of people.”