U.D.P. Chairman Says Police Top Brass Profiting from Positions

On Tuesday, the United Democratic Party, led by Moses “Shyne” Barrow, held a press conference at their headquarters to highlight what they see as the Briceno administration’s failures. One of the speakers was U.D.P. Chairman Michael Peyrefitte, a former National Security Minister and the party’s current shadow Minister of Home Affairs. Peyrefitte let it fly, castigating the top officials of the Belize Police Department and accusing some of them of using their positions to profit by setting up private businesses.

 

Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P

“We must also address a disturbing trend among certain high-ranking officers. Many of them have begun to blur the lines between public service and private gain. We have seen cases where senior officers have become deeply involved in personal business ventures, raising serious questions about where their funding comes from and whether they are using their positions of authority to further their private interest. This not only compromises their integrity but also raises doubts about the effectiveness of our police department. When high ranking police officers’ profit from their positions, it breathes a culture of corruption and conflict of interest, at the very least, the appearance of those. If officers use their status to line their pockets, how can we trust them to enforce the law fairly and without bias. How can people trust that their safety comes first when the pursuit of wealth seems to come before public service for some senior officers. We cannot allow this behavior to go unchecked. It is imperative that we establish independent oversight mechanisms to hold our police department accountable. We must demand full transparency from the highest levels of leadership in our department and ensure that there are no conflicts of interest. The police department must serve the public, not personal agendas.”