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And while PM Barrow could have a little fun with that one - he didn't joke at all when speaking about the crime problem in Belize City.  It was likely a huge factor in the Belize City loss for the red - and how could it not be? - with three children murdered and one more shot in the Belize district in two and a half weeks.

Indeed, crime is a problem that has bedevilled the UDP for its ten years in office, and, tomorrow, the Prime Minister is going to the House of Representatives with a new raft of anti-crime legislation.

Today, he said changes have to be made in the approach to law enforcement:
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"The question of crime and what happened in the days and perhaps and weeks before the election, in my mind undoubtedly played a role. No doubt in my mind what took place in terms of the usurps in criminal activity played a role and the government is well aware that there is a need to do more. We have been keeping the structure and organization of the Police Department under constant review and I believe that together with the passage of the anti-crime legislation the public will see serious changes being made with respect to the operational remit of the department. When you begin to concentrate on the police there's got to be more of an effort made to involve the community. I'm careful I don't want to say much because I don't want to appear to be criticizing any particular police officer, I'm happy to criticize some of the stratagems but let me just say that the notion that this thing can be solved solely on the basis of hard charging, the police going full tilt at the supposed criminals, in my view is par say. There has got to be a mix that will involve the communities in these neighborhood in a real way and that can't happen if these very communities see the police as enemies."

Jules Vasquez
"As a followup will there be a new Commissioner of Police or and Eastern Division Southern Commander?"

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"Certainly I don't want to get ahead of Cabinet but there are going to be structural changes to respect with the leadership of the Belize Police Department. I'm not saying individual officers will go here or there but the organogram. The operational design will clearly have to change."

In tomorrow's news we'll tell you about that new anti-crime legislation.