Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado praised the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU), the Public Service Union (PSU), and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers (APSSM) for staging a peaceful demonstration in Belmopan on Friday. As thousands of teachers and public officers marched through the capital demanding better wages and benefits, Rosado confirmed that the event unfolded smoothly and without incident.
“From all I know, the unions have always done a peaceful demonstration, so they are within their rights.”
Rosado clarified that demonstrators were not in breach of any legal conditions: “The event has been concluded, so they are not in breach of any of the conditions of the bond, and the security threat is at a minimum at this point.”
“Honestly, we were anticipating a larger crowd,” he said. “Our police efforts are based on the threat assessment, and based on that, we post our officers to ensure they can protest—and do so peacefully.”
Dr Rosado also stressed the importance of diplomacy in managing large public gatherings: “Whenever we have a demonstration, our first approach—and I have emphasized this—is that they must approach whoever is protesting in a diplomatic manner.”