ComPol Williams refutes Opposition’s Crime Stats

In the previous story, we told you that Commissioner of Police Chester Williams refuted claims made by the opposition leader during his State of the Nation live broadcast. Barrow stated that the murder rate has increased by forty percent year-to-date. ComPol Williams has since issued a press release stating that the data Barrow presented is false. The release noted, and we quote, “while we would all agree that crime continues to be an issue for us, the Belize Police Department with the support of our ministry and government continues to employ a number of strategies to address the scourge of crime across our country. We are surely not where we want to be but are proud of the significant progress we continue to make. Thanks to the efforts of the hardworking and brave men and women of the Police Department, major crimes are down by fifty-four percent when compared to the same period last year”, unquote. In his release, ComPol Williams provided statistics showing that the murder rate has increased by one point five percent year-to-date. According to the Commissioner of Police, between September 2022 and September 2023 there were sixty-six murders while for the same period between 2023 and 2024 there have been sixty-five murders. Secondly, the Leader of the Opposition stated that twenty-six-year-old Belmopan resident Daniel Cal was murdered by police. ComPol Williams says Barrow’s statement is both reckless and desperate.