7 News Belize

Is SOE The Only Tool That Police Have?
posted (July 7, 2020)
So, while many in the public may applaud the police for the get-tough, rapid response. Others might ask, why such a drastic measure? A state of emergency suspends many of a citizen's fundamental rights - and infringes on the presumption of innocence and due judicial process.

After all, many might say, shouldn't the police have other tools at their disposal? Rather than mass incarceration and suspension of citizens' right?

The Commissioner explained that - as he sees it - convicting gangsters is difficult:

Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"Some might say but why is it we have to resort to a state of emergency to deal with the issue? Well you all will know that with these gang activities though we know these players, we know when they commit crime, it is difficult to prosecute them because they threatened witnesses and nobody want to come forward and give statement against them and so we are unable to effect arrest where they are concern and so they remain on the streets and continue to torment people and so this is one way that we can deal with them. So while they'll be in prison, the gang task force and CIB will be working on the investigations where they are concern to see if we can charge some of them under the gang regulation and some of them under the criminal for whatever criminal act that they may have committed."

Reporter
"Is there any concern on the part of the ministry and the police department that there may be perhaps a fatigue in the number of back to back state of emergencies that are being put in place to try to stem gang violence in the city?"

Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"I wouldn't say so because this is a different one than the previous one. As I said before, the elements we are dealing with now were not a part of the previous state of emergency and so I cannot see an issue of a fatigue and remember that the previous one was supposed to be extended but because of the fact that they had gone to CYDP and had gone to Brother Nuri and had asked for sympathy, the minister and the government decided, you know what, let us give them a break and see what they are going to do if they're going to change and it was in that spirit that the previous one was not extended. So at the end of the day, it is incumbent on them to show that they are serious about making the change, they are serious about displaying behavior that is compatible with ordinary people's behavior so that they can live among us. At the end of the day If they cannot do that then will have no other choice but to put them away."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Minister of National Security
"I don't know one single law-abiding citizen who hates a state of emergency. Law-abiding citizens love states of emergency because they have nothing to hide and they know they won't be gone after by the police. If you look at the whole COVID-19 situation, for example, my sentiment that I am hearing off the street is that people are asking back for the curfew so I believe that the Belizean public wants to be safe and if it takes ten SOEs for them to feel safe then that's what we'll do. In deed it's a legitimate question to say well are state of emergency the only thing that you can do, no, it's not the only thing that we can do, but whenever you want to stop something immediately, that's the best weapon. You implement the state of emergency, you detain the persons of interest and hopefully like the commissioner said when they come out they want to make some change to their lives and we have seen that with the previous set. Hopefully we will see that as well with this set."

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