2025-01-29 - Channel 5 Belize

Who’s ComPol’s Boss?

Who does Police Commissioner Chester Williams answer to? Is it Prime Minister John Briceño or the Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa? That’s what reporters asked Musa this morning in Belmopan. Musa told the media that the Commissioner of Police operates as an autonomous authority, similar to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

“But my point is that you make it seem as though whenever the commissioner speaks or whenever he makes a decision, he has to call myself or the prime minister, which he does not,” Musa told the press.

He stressed the importance of maintaining a clear distinction between political influence and the commissioner’s independent role. He acknowledged that the prime minister ultimately has the power to appoint or remove the commissioner but rejected the notion that the commissioner exclusively answers to any individual within the government. “At the end of the day, we work well, both myself and the commissioner and the prime minister and the commissioner. And so to say he’s answerable to any of us, I think that’s poorly phrased,” Musa said.

ICE Lists 899 Belizeans to be Deported

Under U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is focusing heavily on illegal immigration. A week after taking office, ICE agents began targeting undocumented people and those with serious criminal backgrounds, such as those wanted for homicide or convicted of armed robbery.

Matt Elliston, director of ICE’s Baltimore field office, stated, “The worst go first.”

One major change under Trump was the return of “collateral arrests.” This policy allowed ICE to detain individuals they came across during enforcement operations, even if those individuals weren’t the original targets. This policy reverses guidelines from the Biden administration—such “collateral arrests” were banned under Joe Biden.

As of November 24, 2024, ICE listed 1,445,549 noncitizens with final orders of removal. These individuals have been ordered to leave the U.S. but are not currently in detention.

The data also shows how many people from each country are on this list. According to that breakdown, there are 899 Belizeans with final orders of removal. However, the data doesn’t say why these individuals were ordered to leave.

So are all 899 Belizeans listed in ICE’s list truly criminals? Well, not exactly. According to ICE, receiving a final order of removal means that those individuals don’t have legal permission to stay in the U.S. This could be due to violating immigration laws, having their legal status expire, or even having a criminal conviction, among other reasons.

Earlier this month, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said that Belize would monitor the return of deported individuals, particularly those wanted by local authorities to face charges. “In terms of the people that will be sent back to Belize… we will wait to see who will be coming back. We certainly are looking forward to certain people coming back that are wanted by the police to face charges here in Belize. So, we welcome them,” Williams said.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow Criticises Briceño Administration

The United Democratic Party (UDP), led by Moses “Shyne” Barrow, held a press conference on Tuesday and laid out several of their criticisms of the Briceño administration ahead of the 2025 general election.

Barrow, along with his executive, also outlined their vision and policies if elected. “The people are yearning for the practical, common-sense policies implemented by the UDP that saw our economy grow by 4.5% in successive years,” Barrow stated. He said that Belize’s previous governance with Dean Barrow’s administration, the UDP brought about a record of keeping inflation low, even dipping to as little as 0.5%. “You didn’t have Smiling Meats and Hofius and Santiago and all of these people going out of business during the Barrow administration. We made sure the guardrails were there for the vulnerable, the people in need,” he said.

“It is not that Belizeans want a handout. Belizeans want and need a government that will do their sworn oath of office,” he added.

Barrow made it clear that as the 2025 elections approach, he and his team are positioning themselves as the alternative to the current leadership.

Cop Convicted of Manslaughter Re-enlists in Police Force

The shooting of 24-year-old Emil Rivers by police on Friday in Independence Village has brought up a major controversy. Rivas was reportedly arrested for alleged aggravated assault with a knife and was shot by PC Sheldon Arzu.

The family alleges that Emil, who is on medication for a mental health condition, was brutalised by police by severely beating him before being shot in the stomach and leg.

In Monday’s police briefing, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero offered a different narrative, stating that Rivas attempted to escape from custody twice. “He jumped out of the back of a police vehicle and sustained some injuries. He was immediately apprehended and taken to the cell where he was detained,” Romero said. According to Romero, while Emil’s cell was being cleaned on Saturday, he escaped again and ran to a nearby house, where he allegedly armed himself with a machete. Police cornered him, and after attempts to disarm him failed, a warning shot was fired.

“At some point, then the police officer shot him in the leg. He’s presently admitted in a stable condition,” Romero said on Monday.

However, after Romero provided the police’s side of the incident, Rivas’s mother, Marlene Rivas, shared on Facebook on Monday, “Police and news can lie.” She said that her son was not shot in the leg; he was shot in the abdomen.

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams also confirmed that he was shot in the abdomen. This morning, Williams shared a video of the shooting incident.

This is not the first time that PC Arzu has been involved with the law. Back in 2005, Arzu was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the manslaughter of Reuben “Pony” Alarcon, who was shot and killed inside a police station in 2003. Arzu’s sentence followed a two-year fight for justice by Alarcon’s family.

According to the police department’s recruitment requirements, “Individuals who have previously served in the department and who voluntarily resigned may be considered for re-enlistment.” As part of the requirement, it also says that ““persons with previous convictions are not normally accepted unless the offences are of a minor nature.”

The question remains: was the manslaughter of Reuben “Pony” Alarcon and a sentence of 13 years an ‘offence of a minor nature’?