7 News Belize

Security Minister Tours
posted (March 1, 2019)

Minister of National Security John Saldivar has embarked on another tour of security facilities across the country.  It started today in Punta Gorda where a large BDF and Coast Guard security detail accompanied the contingent which was headed down the Sarstoon.

Today, via phone we asked the CEO is the heavy security presence was to make sure the Guatemalan Armed Forces didn’t get any ideas. Here’s how he answered:

Voice of (Ret.) Col. George Lovell - CEO, National Security
"The purpose of the visit for him to go and see what's going on, for us to make an assessment of what we need to do in terms of our work plan and prioritizing this coming financial year and it's a chance for us to really sit with them and get a feel of what's going on in the ground and it's something we look forward to, we can't do it every year but thankfully we were able to do it 2 years ago and we're glad to be able to do it again this year. This visit he plans to visit the Sarstoon, Cadenas, stop in at the police station in Barranco because we want to revive that police station. Also I think he will be touring fayweather camp at some point and the police station down in Punta Gorda."

Jules Vasquez
"We know that the Guatemalan armed forces have in the past trailed civilian units, they have stopped civilians and we know that they have trailed the BDF as they go up river. Were advanced preparations made to prevent an embarrassment like this from happening when the security minister is going down river?"

Voice of (Ret.) Col. George Lovell - CEO, National Security
"I don't know Jules what kind of preparations you think we need to make, as far as we're concerned, we don't get too caught up with what the Guatemalan armed forces do, if they want to trail or not trail with their resources. Our mission down at the Sarstoon has always been very specific and so in terms of the preparation we have told our troops we're coming and they are expecting us and so that's it. We have free navigation throughout the Sarstoon as does the Guatemalan armed forces."

Jules Vasquez
"I don't want to be semantic argumentative but we shouldn't go on their side and they shouldn't come on our side, right?"

Voice of (Ret.) Col. George Lovell - CEO, National Security
"We don't have a side when it comes to the Sarstoon. Both Belize and Guatemala have the right to navigate whatever side of the Sarstoon. Whatever channel that we wish to use, we could use and so can they. Yes, there have been some incidents, thankfully there hasn't been any recently and so we hope it continues to go that way."

Jules Vasquez
"Was there any extra security for this first leg because of what might be called the vagaries of that trip down the Sarstoon?"

Voice of (Ret.) Col. George Lovell - CEO, National Security
"Absolutely not - I won't say extra security but when we do the tour, there is a security detail that we will take from the BDF. There will also be some security from the coast guard depending on where we're going and as long as the minister and the high command of the Ministry of National Security moving, we will have security detail some visible, some not visible."

Saldivar also visited Barranco since a joint police and Coast Guard base will now be activated there.

This is the first of two legs of his tour in Toledo. After that he goes to Stann Creek.

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