ComPol Pleads for Public to Adjust Violent Attitudes  

Less than two weeks into 2025, Belize has already seen three murders. Over the past two years, the Belize Police Department has worked hard to keep the annual murder count below one hundred. While this is a significant achievement, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams admits it hasn’t been easy, as many murders catch law enforcement off guard. On Thursday, following the shocking midafternoon murder of Giovanni Ramirez in Belize City, Williams spoke with reporters about how the public can help the police department.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Well if we look at the different, the murders that occurred, the one in turn, I don’t see what police could have done to  prevent  the one in Hopkins yesterday again. What could the police do? And this one again today. So while yes, we’re at three murders so far this year, it is three murders too much, certainly yes, but again, I don’t think that the public would unreasonably say that it is due to lack of policing efforts. We can’t prevent everything and we do hope that people do exercise some patience, adjust their attitudes, and always try to resolve conflicts by other means other than the use of lethal force. And that’s what we have been pushing through LIU, through our, um, police interventions and through the interventions done by Brother Nuri.”