2024-07-12 - Channel 5 Belize

Probe Continues into Alleged Police Brutality in San Pedro

Earlier this week, we heard from the Commissioner of Police on a viral video showing a police officer pistol whipping an individual in San Pedro Town. Today, when we caught up with ComPol Williams at an event in San Ignacio, he provided further details on the incident. As ComPol Williams told us on Wednesday, two minors approached Sergeant Makin and informed him that they were being chased by masked individuals who were armed. He explained that officer Makin pursued the individuals and that is when the encounter unfolded that was captured on camera. Today, ComPol Williams told reporters that he has read the statements provided to police by the two minors, a thirteen and fifteen-year-old. He has since instructed investigators to seek clarity on certain details that the minors provided. Here is what the commissioner had to say.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“As I said before the matter is still being investigated by P.S.B. I managed to get a read of the statements yesterday that were given by the two minors who had stopped mister Makin and reported to him that they were being chased by these individuals. The statements do need further clarification and I have instructed the investigators to go back to these persons and ask more questions so that we can get more clarity on these statements. One of the things that came out is that based on what the minors were saying is that they had passed the place initially with a female and while they were passing one of the persons hanging out may have been cat calling the female and she did not reply to them. So after they dropped her off and went back to go to their respective homes they had to pass the same location again and this is when they were pursued by the people who were masked. The issue is that, again from what I have read, is that after the incident occurred, the young men, the two young men, did not go to the police station right away. They went until the following evening. Now after the incident occurred with Sergeant Makin the young man went to the station and made a report. But at that particular time the police had not received the report from the two minors. So they did not detain him. They issued him the medico form and he went to the doctor. By the time he finished with the medico form the minors and their parents came in and gave their statements. There are some issues to the statement I have. One of the issue is that the minors would not be able to identify who those persons were that chased them, for the simple fact that they were wearing mask. But if we can have some clarity in terms of the type of clothing that the two chasers were wearing and if we can compare with the type of clothing the young man had that had an encounter with Mr. Makin then we can say that is the same person. But it is important to note that the same group that young man was in is the same group responsible for the chasing. Whether or not he was doing the chasing I cannot say at this time until we can have some clarity on the matter.”

Victim of Alleged Police Brutality Hires Attorney

Ryan Mendez has reportedly sought the services of an attorney. He intends to take court action against the department. But according to the Commissioner of Police, Mendez remains a fugitive. He says if the attorney wants to help his client, then that attorney should take him to the police station for questioning.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“It cannot be that you request court action. The police has to look at the investigation in its totality to see whether or not there is anything there that he can be charged for as well as to see if the police committed a breach that he can be charged for. So, we have to look at everything in its totality. When the investigation is done then we can look at it. The attorney for the young man, if he so wish what he can do is bring the young man into the police station, let the police complete the investigation and that would help us to arrive at a definitive conclusion on that matter.”

“Continue to Film Instances Where Officers Are Acting with Force”

Reporters also asked Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa about the viral video involving Sergeant Makin. He says that he was disturbed when he first saw the video. He later found out that the encounter stemmed from a report made by two minors. Minister Musa says he is now leaving it in the hands of the Professional Standard Branch. He is also encouraging citizens to continue recording police officers in events where it is believed that they are acting with excessive force.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“When I saw the video for the first time, like the rest of Belize I was really disturbed because if it is one thing that our administration has been extremely adamant about it us that officers must be accountable for their behavior and they must not use excessive force in detaining individuals. So traditionally as you might know my instant reaction is that this requires immediate action from P.S.B. in terms of an investigation. So even without the complainant going in to say that he, well the suspect in this case, to say that he was the victim of excessive force, I requested of the Commissioner that he get professional standards branch to do an investigation into it. So that is currently taking place. Now let me say this point blank that if it was a random, arbitrary act by this officer, say for instance the had a personal issue with this individual and he would go and act out like this because of a personal issue, nothing to do with a chase or anything like that, I personally do not care if he is mother Theresa’s grandson, it is my expectation that P.S.B. would take immediate action, do an investigation and let the chips fall where they may. Now since then we gave learnt that two minors have gone into the San Pedro Police station to give statements, one is thirteen and one is fifteen. These minors, it is not my belief that they are making this scenario up. They were being chased by a number of individuals. It is believed that the suspect in this case was one of them, the young men altered Mr. Makin who was on his way home, I am told, to this incident and that is what prompted him to respond. Obviously, we only got a short clip, I don’t know if the video was spliced, but I want to encourage members of the public, continue to film instances where officers may be using force. But also try to give us the full picture because I don’t believe that is where the video started.”

Home Affairs Minister Trusts Evidence Given by San Pedro Minors

Minister Musa was also asked if he thinks that the Commissioner of Police misrepresented the facts of the incident to the media on Wednesday. That is after it was discovered that Mendez did, in fact, make a complaint to police. Here is how Musa responded.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“First of all, the Commissioner was not on the scene and so he is relaying information that was passed to him so you are getting third party information. In instances like that there would be some misinformation which is why I am always careful to tell you what I am told because you might not have the full picture once you are not there. I trust the evidence given by the thirteen-year-old and fifteen year old who was there. So I am not saying I am taking any information from Mr. Makin or from the O.C. in San Pedro. I am saying there are two young men saying they were being chased in a menacing way that they had to stop an off duty officer to intervene. So you have to look at that.”

Collet Area Rep Reveals Alleged Rape Incident on Antelope Street

On Thursday, Patrick Faber, the Area Representative for Collet, revealed that one of his constituents was raped last week in front of his office on Antelope Street Extension. He made the revelation during a Special Sitting of the House of Representative on Thursday. Reports are that the victim has not yet made a report to police. But her family did reach out to Faber to request surveillance footage from his office. He refused to surrender the footage. He gave this explanation.

Patrick Faber, Area Representative, Collet

“A resident of my constituency got raped right in front of my o0ffice in the early hours of the morning last week. The police camera deh right up deh. So when you talk about technology and using technology, they didn’t come to me directly but the family came and asked if I could give them the footage from my office. No sir, because I will not get into any quarrel with the people from my area about snitching. Unu could say what you want but I have to live their and I go there everyday. This is how the rank and file feels. You could say what you want.”

ComPol on Faber “It’s A Sad Day for Belize.”

Today, reporters asked the Commissioner of Police for his thoughts on Patrick Faber’s statements. He was also questioned on whether the police can mandate Faber to hand over the surveillance footage. ComPol Williams says he was appalled by the statement and that it is a sad day for Belize.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I was very appalled by the statement from the area representative for Collet. I don’t think that is something he should be happy about. The issue of fighting crime is everybody’s business. For you to be in the House criticizing the police for not being effective in fighting crime and here you are as the area representative who is being paid by the people of this country you have information not just of a Crime but of a woman being raped and to say you would not share the footage to police I think it is a sad day for us. You are basically saying to the nation that you are a contributor to the problem. You can’t expect that the police is going to be everywhere. If you want to criticize the police you give them information and if they do nothing with it you can criticize them. But for you to have the information to help the police solve this crime and you do not do so then you are apart of the problem.”

Reporter

“Is there anything the police can do to force him to surrender this footage?”

Chester Williams

“Well I know now. I have already given information to the investigators to go and recover this footage and if he does not provide it section twenty of the Indictable Procedure Act gives the police authority to be able to use a search warrant and retrieve the footage. The police will be doing that to make sure we get the footage with a view to see if we can solve this crime.”

Musa Chides Faber Over House Comments on Rape Case

The Minister of Home Affairs says he was in disbelief when he heard Patrick Faber’s comments regarding the alleged rape incident in Collet. He chided Faber over the comments and called on him to change his philosophy on crime fighting within his constituency.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“When we signed up to run for office, to be elected officials, to represent the people of Belize it is expected that you are supposed to fight for your people, you are supposed to represent all that is good about Belize. To be able to fight crime and to play your part as a parliamentarian in fighting crime to make sure your constituents are safe. As I sat there yesterday in the house I was in complete disbelief at the words uttered by my parliamentary friend because it came across as a surrender, as a cowardly thing to say, that you are not going to cooperate in fighting crime. That is not what you are supposed to be doing. You are supposed to be working along with the police department. He was saying he felt that way even under the U.D.P. So he has been feeling this way for the last two decades that he will not partake in fighting crime within his constituency. So that speaks volumes to the type of individual he is. You have to step up to the plate. You signed up to be the representative to these people not to surrender to criminals. So, I really would hope he would change that philosophy and work with police in fighting crime.”

New Police Stations and Police Recruits Incoming

The Belize Police Department is planning to construct police stations in several communities across the country as part of its national crime fighting efforts. The department also plans to add an additional six hundred officers to the force. Today, ComPol Williams revealed that a Cabinet paper has been drafted to this end and will soon be presented to the Minister of Home Affairs.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Every time you hear the news and you listen to the discourse on social media you get the impression that nobody likes police. The demand for policing has increased exponentially. Everywhere we go people are asking for police presence in their respective communities. We have a number of stations that we have to construct. We are looking at a police station in Trial Farm, a police station in Kontiki, a police station in Santa Elena, police station in Cotton Tree, police station in Teakettle. These are police stations all in the pipeline for construction. With these police stations will come the need for more police officers. We have put together a Cabinet paper that we will present to our minister asking the government to approve the recruitment of another two hundred police officers. Currently the police department’s strength is at two thousand four hundred. We want to take that to three thousand minimal. And with that we want to make sure we can accommodate the policing demands in our country. When we look at the police population compared to the country population, we are less than one percent of the country population and so certainly it’s inadequate and there is a need to have more police officers.”

Belize Is 14th Deadliest Country in Region, Down From 3rd

When the Minister of Home Affairs was asked to comment on the latest crime statistics, he said that while Belize is now ranked as the fourteenth deadliest country in the region, he is still not satisfied. Minister Musa is already conceding that this year’s homicide statistics will be worse than last year’s historic low. But, he says, that has to do with the fact that Belize’s population is increasing rapidly.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“It is going down. I know that many times the media is always behind the commissioner to get interviews on the crime rate and certainly that would give you a sense that crime us all that is taking place because we have a very accessible and transparent Commissioner of Police. In terms of burglary, theft, property crimes, those are going down. In terms of homicides, particularly this year, that is going up. Last year we had a record year which took us, according to Insight Crime, to number fourteen after having been between number three and five for several years under the U.D.P. administration. We have come a long way from there but we have a longer way to go. I am not satisfied with being the fourteenth most deadly. I want to go even further down that list. So overall when you consider the last decade and thus decade it has been trending downwards. To beat last year’s numbers when it comes to homicides might be a bit difficult because we haven’t had a number like eighty-seven since 2005. So it is difficult. Towns, cities, like Santa Elena is growing, expanding and the criminals are in these expanded areas. So we have to make the adjustments at the ministry and police department to ensure adequate policing are in these areas.”

Beloved Dr. Cecilio Eck is Battling Stage Four Cancer

The medical community, as well as the family and friends of Doctor Cecilio Eck, is seeking your assistance with covering the expenses of the well-known and beloved pediatrician. Doctor Eck was recently diagnosed with stage four cancer and, despite being at work every day tending to his infant patients, is once again fighting for his life. After surviving a serious case of COVID-19 a few years ago, Doctor Eck vowed to take better care of his body. He had been doing so, until an incident in June brought him to this harsh reality.

Dr. Cecilio Eck, Cancer Patient

“Maybe a month ago, my cousin was helping me. He was painting my home and I helped him move a scaffolding and I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, but of course I thought it was just a pulled muscle. [I] took pain killers, went to see the physiotherapist, and eventually the orthopedic surgeon and they confirmed it. [They said,] “Doc, put your hand in a sling, take some stronger pain medicine and you’ll be fine.” The K.H.M.H. recently got a new C.T. machine, an excellent machine, and they were doing tests on C.T. scans to screen people’s hearts. And one of my good friends, Dr. Tennyson, signed me up, he said, “Dr. Eck, go and check your heart.” So I went and my heart was fine, but the technician said he saw something in the lungs and he implored me to wait and do a proper scan. While waiting, one of my radiographer friends said, “let’s x-ray that shoulder, Doc.” And when they did it, they actually found a lithic lesion in my left humerus, which is, instead of seeing properly calcified or white bone, it was, part of the bone was missing or replaced by something. I spoke with the radiologist at that time and he said, “Doc, we need to do a full C.T. with contrast.” And he did, and the C.T. showed multiple lesions throughout my body, involving the ribs, the shoulder was the big one, and my pelvis, the pelvic bone. He also found the lesions in the liver and of course the lung. And at that point I then knew that if it is multiple lesions like this, in multiple organs in the body, it is a cancer and it is at least stage four. It has spread.”