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As we close 2018, there were 143 murders - one more than last year.  That leaves we look back at the murder rate of 35.9 per hundred thousand, which will probably - again - be amongst the top 10 highest in the world.  Now, this is the same outturn in the murder rate despite the millions in additional funds being spent on security.  Yesterday, we asked the National security CEO about whether all those millions are being wisely spent:…

Jules Vasquez
"You all ran operation act for 2017… 2017 November right through 2018. I can’t imagine the costs. I know the budget for it has to be significant, 6-7 figures. My question is, you did all that and you still came out with a murder total that was greater than your count of the year before. All that for naught. How do you respond to that criticism sir?"

(Ret.) Col. George Lovell - CEO, National Security
"I will start off with the last…addressing the last comment you made, ‘all that for naught’; Jules, it’s not for naught. All that the police have done since 2017 in terms of the efforts that they have had in the streets of Belize have brought us the kind of calm that otherwise will be not have experienced and so it’s not for naught. You can’t really put a cost to the kind of efforts that we put for our safety and our security in this country. And if it is that the government and the people have to invest even more to make us a little bit safer, then that’s what we will have to do. That’s the cost that we will have to pay for this. But I also want to say too that we are looking at these things and looking at the ways how we can do better with the kinds of investments that we are making." 

DCP Chester Williams - Acting COMPOL
"You will see that the violence within region one did decrease significantly in the latter part of 2018 and that is a direct result of the effectiveness of act operation. In May of 2018, our murder count was 24, above 2017 figure for the same time. And after we did the reconfiguration, we were able to cut from 24 above last…above 2017 figure and we’ll close off the year with 1 above, which I think is a great achievement. You will also appreciate the fact that while we have one murder more than 2017’s figure, that majority of the murder that took place in 2018 were more of a domestic situation. Those we have no control over."