It's that type of internal investigation, the police investigating their own, that is being set up by the Independent Crimes Commission. It is a newly set up oversight body to the Professional Standards Branch formerly known as the Internal Affairs Division. It is designed to be a permanent body to impartially investigate complaints made against the Police Department.
Public Relations for the Police and Public Safety Ministry, Raphael Martinez, told us more:
Rafael Martinez - Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Police and Public Safety
"The way how it operates is that you take your complaints - the complaint form can be found at any police station, and of course all the major media houses. Take it very simple, very easy to understand. You fill it out with as much detail as possible. And you fold it; put it in an envelope, and there is a drop box at each police station. Unfortunately, we don't have one at Raccoon Street, but hopefully by next week, we should be having one. But one is at Eastern Division as we speak. Put it in there; the officer who is diarist, will actually make a note that you've actually dropped in your complaint form, give it a number. And every week, there will be somebody from the ICC, the Independent Complaints Commission, who will go there and offload - take all these complaint forms, where a group of them will sit down, and look at the forms, and see exactly how to go about actioning out these forms. You should be getting a response within a week, but to get a specific conclusion, it will probably take 30 to 60 days, depending on the nature of the offense, and the allegation made against the officer."
The Commission is being steered presently by a three member - pro tem committee consisting of Donelle Hawk, Legal Advisor in the Ministry of Police and Public Safety, Jacqueline Sanchez of National Trade Union Congress of Belize and Earl Jones CEO of the Kolbe Foundation.
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