Was There a Communication Breakdown in SICH Incident?

A week has passed since the Belize Police Department launched its investigation into an incident that occurred inside the San Ignacio Community Hospital involving so-called gang members. As we reported, alleged gang leader David Galindo was rushed to the hospital with gunshot injuries. It is said that several gang members intimidated healthcare providers and damaged hospital property, fearing that Galindo would lose his life. He died a week later, and all indications are that the Belize Police Department did not become aware of the events that transpired until days after the incident when it was reported in the news. Today, Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa was asked if there was a breakdown in communication somewhere. Here is how he responded.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“Like I mentioned previously I believe I met with the media Friday, Thursday or Friday. The only report that came to police was the issue of the damage to property. And so that matter was dealt with the individual was charged the following day. And I actually, I believe he pled guilty, the individual that damaged the glass. And he was fined fifteen hundred. And so that was the only report that came to the police department. And so I know that there is a lot of examination going on in terms of the timeline in which this information was provided. But let me say that it was not provided to the police. It was provided to a media outlet. And one would expect, moving forward, responsible media outlets would contact the police Before trying to claim credit to say we were the ones who got that information first. This is not a competition. The police is not competing with any of the media stations. And it is hoped that we are all in this fight against crime. That you would do the responsible thing. Ask the police for their side of the story. Did a report like this come to you? That was never done. Instead it was shared on a morning show I believe. That’s not the way that we are supposed to be working together. And so I want to ask the cooperation of media houses. We’re not trying to compete for any sort of glory. This is not about chess beating or ego building. This is about trying to fight and stop crime. And so my suggestion moving forward is that had the doctors gone to the police first, that then an investigation could have taken place. But the only thing that came to the police was a damaged property case.”