We tracked down the commissioner this morning in the Raccoon Street station yard because we wanted to find out about the biggest news of last night: the police and the state had decided to set free 134 alleged gang members who had been detained under the Southside State of Emergency on March 18th. Initially, authorities had said they would lock them up for 30 days, and then roll that over for another 30 to 60 days.
But as we told you last night, the commissioner hinted to them on Wednesday that he was inclined to bypass that and end their detention last night, at the 30 day mark.
Well, he did. At 6:00 pm last night, police brought the prisoners from jail back to Belize City to re-join their families as free men.
Today Williams explained the factors that went into the decision:
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"While yes the intention then was to hold them at prison for us long as the law would allow, from then to now the time that they had been incarcerated Mr. Nuri Muhammed and Mrs. Marinette Westby have been going to the prison and dialoguing with them doing sessions with them as well along with Mr. Dawson from the prison and this was done with a view to see what can be done to be able to get them to resolve their issues. Personally, I tried my best to stay away from it because I truly did not want to have any sort of dialogue with them. My thing is that they should remain in prison. Nonetheless, from the discussions done with them through Mr. Muhammed/Mrs. Westby and Mr. Dawson at the prison they ask me if I could go in and have a word with the guys because they would like to hear from me. Now this was winding down to the end of the 30 days period and you would recall I have said in a previous news interview that if it is they want their freedom, they must agree to 2 things: 1) to surrender their weapons and 2) they must sign a contract with CYDP that if release they are going to ensure that they hold the peace and so I said to them in my intervention that if it is that they are willing to surrender their weapons and to sign the contract with CYDP, then I have no difficulty trying to see what I can do in order for them to be released. If it is that they refused to do either then I would surely advocate for them to stay."
"Well it happened that they agreed and so from the process we had already obtained a total of 27 weapons from them including Ak-47 and we should be receiving another 5 today, to bring it to a total of 32 weapons and they have also agree to sign the contract with CYDP that they are going to holding down and my message to them is that if you go out, if one gunshot is heard in the city and it comes from either of you, you are coming back and the easiest thing to do is to do another one. It is much easier than getting an extension, because getting the extension you have to go to the House. But to declare another one is much easier. So they agreed that they are going to ensure that the people of Belize live in peace, because that is my priority."
We should note that to extend the state of emergency detentions the government would have had to go to the House of Representatives - which has its own complications in a COVID situation. Of course, to issue a new one, they do not have to go back to the house - only to get the assent of the Governor General.
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