Stolen License Plates Possibly Sold to Tourist  

Police are still investigating a string of license plate thefts that occurred in southside Belize City earlier this week. At least nine vehicles on Maris Deena Street were targeted by thieves who made off with license plates and two car batteries. According to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, the motive of the theft is still unknown, but police are on the lookout for the perpetrators.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I know its something  I know it’s something the police is looking at. I’m not sure if they have received any leads on that issue, but again, they’re working in tandem with the traffic department to see what, if anything can be obtained. I know that many of those persons who lost the license plate in that in that incident have reapplied to the transport department, and I’m speaking about city traffic. And it has been addressed from that standpoint. But again, if you know of anyone who is selling license plates, it’s good to report to the police so the police can go and see if, in fact, those plates are stolen. It seems to be something that is that farms part of the tourism industry because again, I know that sometime tourists may want to buy license plate and take back to their respective country so that they can show I was in Belize and I got this license plate from Belize, it’s something we have to look at very seriously. Because it can also be another issue where the license plates have been stolen with the intent that they be used to commit to place on other vehicles to commit crime. We have to look at it from all angles.”

 

Reporter

“Were you a case the owners would be safeguarded by the mere fact that the paperwork is at traffic?”

 

Chester Williams

“Certainly yes. If they report to the police that they had lost a license plate and, license plate is subsequently found or identified on a vehicle that is used in the commission of a crime, then that would absolve them to some extent to verify that it would’ve not been their vehicle that was used in the commission of that crime.”