UDP: ‘Police Figures Appear to Have Been Compromised’

The United Democratic Party (UDP) has unleashed a scathing attack on Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, accusing him of manipulating crime statistics to mask a spiralling citizen security crisis.

During his State of the Nation address delivered from the UDP headquarters on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow asserted that crime rates have surged this year.

Shortly thereafter, ComPol Williams countered Barrow’s claims in a press release, describing the data presented by the opposition leader as false information. In an interview on Thursday, Williams stood by the integrity of the crime statistics, accusing Barrow of misleading the public: “We cannot allow him to mislead the Belizean people,” he said, adding, “He knows the reality of where we stand with crime statistics.”

In an official statement released today, the UDP condemned the Commissioner for what they described as “deliberate manipulation of crime statistics with intent to deceive citizens about the state of security in our nation.”

 

 

“We note with grave concern his politically charged response to the duly elected Leader of the Opposition in the form of a press release laced with lies, partisan rhetoric and campaign promises,” the UDP continued.

The statement emphasized, “Despite the greatest efforts on the part of the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, and Police Minister, Kareem Musa, fabricated crime statistics will not improve citizens’ sense of security and the reality faced daily by Belizeans.”

“It is also important to note that the police figures appear to have been compromised,” the UDP added, suggesting a deliberate attempt to downplay the severity of the situation.

The UDP urged Prime Minister Briceno to recognize the shortcomings of the current leadership under Kareem Musa and Chester Williams, calling their leadership “a disastrous failure.”