Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
A police officer appeared in court today, charged for theft after he stole from a business woman while on duty.
On Monday, January 6th PC Peter Graham was working special duty at J&Y Block Factory on Mahogany street when the owner stepped out. That's when he went behind her desk to steal from the cash drawer. The owner found him there when she got back and he said he was just locking the padlock. But when Wang checked, she realized that $550 dollars was missing.
The theft was captured on camera and the video went viral on Facebook this weekend, causing a major black eye for the department. Today we asked the ComPol his reaction to seeing the video.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "My reaction was... I have to hold that back just now. Sometimes I really and truly wonder what goes through the minds of some police honestly. His actions or conduct is disgusting... I won't say much because I have already directed that matter be dealt with. I know we have received a report from the proprietor of the establishment and I had given instructions over the weekend for him to be arrested and charged and I was told that he eventually took back the money with the hope that the matter would not be pursued but believe you me, what I saw on that video footage is certainly something that is unforgivable. We are police officers, we are charged with the trust and confidence of the public. his conduct in that video goes against the grain of what being a police officer is and so he was suspended immediately and I have already directed the legal office to write him, because again as much as the public may be outraged and I agree with them that we all should be outraged, the law requires that we must follow a process and that process is natural justice. So the legal office is going to be writing him today and will ask him in light of the allegation, what is depicted on the video footage, why he should not be dismissed he'll be given 14 days to reply to that letter, he can do so alone or through an attorney and once I get that response from him I will then apply my best judgement looking at his response reasonably and if I should find that his reasons are not justified then I will proceed in his dismissal."
Notably, back in 2018, Graham was detained in connection with a drug plane that landed in Barranco. He was caught in very questionable proximity to the landing but while he was detained, he was never charged and wasn't dismissed from the force. We asked the ComPol about it.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "He was not found as you have said, he was found in a more compromising position, I think the seat from the plane was found in his vehicle. I was not the commissioner of police then so I could not answer that question, he committed an infraction now that I believe is of great concern and I will apply my best judgement in addressing this issue."
Graham wore a Santa shirt to court today for his arraignment. He was bail of $1,500 dollars, which he met. He is due back in court on March 13th.
And last week, another cop was in court after he was charged with cruelty to an animal. Today the ComPol said that as long as evidence of this type of crime is presented to the police, they will charge the perpetrator.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "I think I saw the video footage where the dog was tied to a tree in a yard and the officer went at the dog with a machete and whipped him about 3 times. That video I'm told was sent to the humane society and they made a complaint and based on that complaint the police acted and the police officer was charged for that matter."
Courtney Menzies: "Will this be a charge we see more frequently because we do get lots of complaints of persons and police officers attacking dogs?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "Well if it is there is evidence to substantiate the charge, certainly yes, that is going to be the trend."
Tonight two men are on remand after customs intercepted two disassembled AR-15 rifles with the parts spread out across 6 different barrels.
The barrels came via ship by a consolidator. It had been shipped from California weeks ago and were declared as motorcycle parts.
On a routine search of what was considered a commercial shipment - customs examiners found the found the disassembled weapon broken down into about 15 parts. They carried no serial numbers.
Police detained the person who came to pick up the shipment, and as a consequence two men were remanded to prison today.
Two Gardenia residents, 53 year old Dinsdale Flowers, and 55 year old Irene Dawson were charged with offenses of kept firearms without a gun license and illicit trafficking of firearm- both pleaded not guilty and were remanded to prison until March 13 2025.
Police say the weapons are an M4 Carbine and another rifle with no serial number. They were allegedly intended for a local city gang.
Tonight, there is tension between police and customs after a scary incident on the weekend. Reports are that a customs officer allegedly injured a senior police officer and a female officer - who is the customs officer's common law.
Reports say that he found the senior officer in his home with his common law and violence ensued.
Tonight, it's a source of major friction between these apex law enforcement departments - and today the Compol wouldn't say much about it:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "I know yes that there is some information that reached me on that matter and that matter is being dealt with at this time by Mr Dawson."
There are reports that the customs officer could face charges of aggravated assault - but it's unclear how that charge can be brought if he was at his home and the male victim was the equivalent of a trespasser.
There was a vicious bar brawl in Punta Gorda town on Saturday night which was caught on surveillance camera.
One woman was left injured but the man who stoned her in the head with a pint will likely get away without charges, since reports say she is afraid to make a complaint, and the bar owner has reached an agreement with the instigator.
But, he won't get a compromise with the Compol who wants his liquor license suspended. Here's what the compol said. We also spoke via phone to the bar owner:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "I just told the legal officer this morning in conference to write the Toledo Liquor License in board and seek to have the license suspended."
Voice of: Joe Bejerano, "Jr's Bar" Owner "And that's not fair because this is our first time an incident to this extreme had happened. And I don't think that's fair for a business owner to lose his liquor license just because one-time thing, but something that we don't have control over. It would be like about four families who they will lose their breadwinners."
Bejerano also explained why he isn't bringing charges against the instigator who shelled out his bar and his employees:...
Voice of: Joe Bejerano, "Jr's Bar" Owner "I saw that the whole place was destroyed, all my beverages were broken, and mein, it was just a disaster. He offered to compensate me with the loss, all the beverages that were broken, damage, and I consider receive the compensation because in the past, I have heard that people go to court and it's like they have to go through a lot to actually get back something."
"And I thought that with receiving something better than nothing, I could just continue right from there, I could buy back my drinks, and I could just go back to work."
Jules Vasquez "The women working behind the bar, because they got chance up. I mean, one of them got stoned in her head with a pint."
Voice of: Joe Bejerano, "Jr's Bar" Owner "Yes, well, I feel for her because then she got hurt, but I didn't have no control over the incident, and she understands that she got into a fight and it's not so clear who throw the bottle, so she's just at home resting and hopefully she gets better and comes back to work."
It made news in Benque Viejo this morning when hundreds of school children were late for school. That's because they were stuck at the border. All of them come across from Melchor daily. They were backed up at the border crossing well past the start time for school. And why is that? Well, there are just too many of them - more than ever. How many? 912 - which is more than twice what it was 8 years ago when the Immigration Department started using special border cards for the students.
Two booths are dedicated just to the students - but because the number increased from last semester to this one - the Immigration Department will have to work out another strategy.
This morning - the school children - who attend classes at primary and high schools between Benque Viejo and San Ignacio got cleared from the Immigration crossing at 8:40 AM - making many of them late for classes.
Last week Harrison Sutherland - known in the streets as "Dr Sutherland" - was arrested for a strange charge - carrying a 5 gallon water bottle on his bicycle. While there may be such a law in place, he explained that he was helping an elderly woman.
After seeing him on 7News, the ComPol took to social media to declare that Sutherland should not have been charged and that he will be withdrawing it. Today Williams explained that in such cases, discretion has to be used.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "The issue with Harrison Sutherland is one that again outrages the public and while I can say categorically that I do not act on public outrage but I act based on what is reasonable and just and while there is a law indeed that speaks to the fact that you're not supposed to carry articles or load on a bicycle that disallows you from being able to properly maneuver the bicycle, that law did not contemplate a 5 gallon bottle of water, or grocery bags that you go to the store and buy and have to come riding with those items on your bike. One of my favorite judge when I was at law school reading cases is Lord Denning and Lord Denning said that the law is not an ass, in the sense that the law does not punish good deeds. We have to look at, even in the absence of the good gesture that Mr Sutherland was performing, to arrest a person carrying a 5 gallon on a bicycle is not reasonable and I think as police officers we have to apply our best judgement. I'm not going to ridicule the police, he was doing his job, but certainly I think it would have best served if he had sought advice on the matter before proceeding with the charge. I wouldn't want to see a society where every time someone tries to do something good we punish them because then what kind of society are we going to be promoting? When it comes to our senior citizens, we all have elderly people in our family and if someone is out there helping my grandmother or my mother or my grandaunt or something and they're punished for it then how does that make me feel? So on that basis, the fact that the law did not contemplate a 5 gallon water bottle which we see everyday when we go anywhere in the country, we're not so fortunate all of us that we have a vehicle. The bicycle is what made people use as their mode of transportation and the law itself as I said to my commander this morning was to deal with those who you see carry a fridge, carry a chest of drawers, carry maybe large piece of lumber extending out that impedes traffic, things like that the law contemplates dealing with."
Road traffic fatalities saw a major increase last year with over 100 persons dying. In the last month of the year, 10 passed away in a single accident. There were also plenty of motorcycle accidents, and teenagers who were killed in some of them.
But the police department is trying to lower that statistic this year with the introduction of the Highway Interdiction Team. The HIT Unit will be patrolling the highways, not just for traffic offenders, but also to keep an eye out on transnational crime.
Courtney Menzies was at the unit's launch today in Belmopan and has this story.
The Highway Interdiction Team will be hitting the highway after the launch of the brand new unit today. The team was created to address transnational crime as well as the road traffic crisis that Belize has been facing. Last year, there were 108 fatalities - about half of which were involved motorcycles.
But it is the hope of the ComPol and the Minister of Police that the HIT will be able to catch traffic offenders to mitigate these accidents, and be able to curb drug and human smuggling.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "We saw it prudent to create a team that would be able to ensure the safety of our thoroughfare in the sense that we will be doing as much as we can to prevent our thoroughfare being used by human traffickers, firearm traffickers, ammunition traffickers, drug traffickers as well as human smugglers and those who engage in the transportation of contraband. And not just only that, we also have other types of transnational crime that we must guard against and so to have these teams on our highways on a daily basis it's going to serve us tremendously, ensuring that the highways are safe for those persons who use it. Secondary to the functions as I mentioned earlier, the issue of road safety, as it relates to ensuring that users of our highways comply with the road safety regulations and so the team will be issued with ticket books so they'll be able to issue traffic violation tickets. When conducting checkpoints they will be able to look for traffic violations and issue tickets and in those instances where the violation is one that is arrest-able then they will be arresting people. The objective here is to ensure that our highways are safe in every respect, from a crime perspective and from a road safety perspective."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "I know that the focus of this highway interdiction team, is certainly on firearms trafficking, on, drug smuggling, human trafficking and smuggling. But it's also important that the work in tandem with our Department of Transport on their highway patrol in light of the very serious year that we've had and the number of traffic fatalities. And so it is my hope that this team, this highway interdiction team will also play a significant role in curbing the number of traffic fatalities and traffic accidents."
Courtney Menzies: "What will they be doing differently that you think will help to reduce the number?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "Well, of course, it's sort of like a highway patrol. Right now, the mobile interdiction team is more focused on border security. And so the presence, so to speak, is not there. This highway interdiction team, you will actually visibly see them on the highway interdicting offenders. And so there will be a greater presence on our highways that we have not seen before."
The unit has 14 members which will be divided into three teams placed at strategic locations:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "In the first instance yes it's 14 and as soon as the recruits who are in training right now graduate then the team is going to be increased in number. We start with three teams in the first instance, we have southern team, a western team, and a northern team. It is my hope that we'll be able to put a team between Belize and Belmopan by the first half of this year so we should be having four teams in place by June 1st 2025."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "Well, as you know, over the last two years, the northern operations has become sort of a permanent feature annually in our budget, where we seek additional funds and resources in that area. And so it is expected that along the northern border, we will be seeing a lot of the highway interdiction interdiction team, as well as in the south where we have a lot of plane landings. Yes, it is very remote areas in Dolores where we have most of the landings. But hopefully this year we can get to our forward operating base established in Dolores, along with the US embassy."
And with the new unit comes new equipment - today they received four vehicles, and they will also be provided with speed guns, breathalyzers and ticket books. But for these to be effective, the next part of the plan is to amend the legislation.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "We are currently in discussion, I think should be finalized by now, the different amendments to the road traffic regulation that will deal with the issue of breathalyzers and strengthening some of the laws. I know Mr Rosado and the CTO have met on several occasions, looking at the different areas of concern to see the different recommendations that were made to cabinet in other for the amendment to be made so that process is in motion and we anticipate that it is going to be dealt with swiftly."
An employee of Princess Casino, accused of assaulting a man and his girlfriend with a firearm, appeared at the magistrates court this morning in Belize City. He is a Food and beverage manager, 40 year old Tyron Humes. Just after 12:30 am on Sunday January 12th, 57 year old Edwin Bowen reported to police that he was exiting Princess Casino in the company of his girlfriend when they encountered Humes and another man searching inside of Bowen's green Honda Van which was parked not far from the entrance of the casino's exit gate. As Bowen approached Humes, Humes allegedly pulled out his licensed firearm and threatened Bowen, again allegedly pointing the weapon at him. As Bowen began to step back Humes lunged at him and punched him on the left side of his forehead. Humes was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly instrument. He appeared unrepresented today before a magistrates who read him the charges to which he pleaded not guilty. Due to the nature of the offenses Humes was denied bail and remanded to the Belize Central Prison until February 28th. Very notably, Humes got the license in what we can only call a questionable vetting and approval in 2023 under the Commissioner's hand.
And the Arms and Ammunition Board is currently looking at him and another license holders determine whether theirs should be rescinded.
The second person - Abner Murillo - actually owns a large gun store and has had his licenses to sell those weapons rescinded by the Board. ComPol Williams told us more.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "Certainly we are going to make recommendations to the board as we have in many other cases when persons who are license holders misuse their firearms to have the license revoked."
Courtney Menzies: "I think you - or the board - rescinded the license for Mr Abner, I don't remember his last name, who owns Locked and Loaded?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "That matter I believe is before the court, Mr Murillo has retained the services for an attorney and that matter is going to be dealt with by the court so I'm not going to deal with it."
And while the ComPol says he happily surrendered responsibility for license approvals, will he soon be giving up his post?
Last week he said that he wasn't "preparing to leave" as one media house had reported. But in a conference meeting, he told his officers, along with the Minister and the CEO, quote, "I don't think I will be here much longer." We asked him what he meant by this today, and whether his successor will be a woman.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "It's what your interpretation of what 'much longer' means, much longer could be a year, could be two, could be three, it's your interpretation. Much longer doesn't have a definition to say it is within a month, two or three or four months, it does not say that. You take things for good news."
Courtney Menzies: "Would you recommend Ms Sandra Bodden, is she being looked at, do you know?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "Ms Bodden, Mr Jones, Mr Rosado, and even some of the ACPs that we have are very capable and competent people. We also have Ms Anderson, she's very in tune, in touch, well knowledgable and so forth, we do have some good people that can be considered yes."
And what does his minister think of his comments then and now? We asked Kareem Musa today.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "Where is the ComPol, I think he should be the one to answer that question. I think the ComPol for the last few years has been, of course focused on his work, I think now, you hear more of the possibility of him moving on to other work in public service, and so we can look forward to that. I'm not sure in terms of when his departure date is going to be. That's something you'll have to ask him."
Courtney Menzies: "Will the next commissioner be a woman?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "It could be. That's a possibility. Currently, we only have two deputies. Both are male, and usually the next in line is coming from a deputy. And so, but we do have women who are high up on that list in terms of assistant commissioner of police."
And apart from being the police minister, Musa is also the Minister of New Growth Industries. But if you're wondering what that ministry has done over the last four years, you're not alone. The most concrete move was the Marijuana legalization bill, which is currently on what appears to be an indefinite stall. The media asked Musa if there was any update.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "There's no update on it. But I know that 2025 is an election year, and it is my hope, as minister that we be able to get that on the ballot."
Courtney Menzies: "But with the legalization bill stalled as it was this entire time, do you feel like anything meaningful was accomplished over the last 4 or 5 years?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "Definitely. Because I feel that it opened up an appetite for innovation within the private sector, looking at new industries that may not be your traditional industries, like, aquaculture or sugar and citrus and bananas. I see that it definitely opened up a whole realm of possibilities. It does require, however, that we amend a lot of legislation to assist industries like the cohune industry moving forward. And so I think that, while it is that the main focus of creating the new industries was to see how we can introduce cannabis as one of those industries, I think there are so many other great ideas that have come forward and hopefully, even the orange economy, the film industry, music industry, these can be put as priorities in the next administration."
Courtney Menzies: "Would you see that in the next term, if you guys win, we'll see more concrete things coming out of the ministry?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "Absolutely, absolutely. And I'm confident that if the cannabis were to be placed on the referendum, whether we as Belizeans want to see a regulated industry that is governed by legislation, that is tax that is not part of this illegal black market that has cost us so many lives. I think that we want to make it make sense because cannabis has been decriminalized. So you can have ten grams on you. You have no way of getting it. And that is why there is this illegal dark market which is costing so many Belizean lives. And so if you look at all the benefits moving forward of having that industry, I think Belizeans will realize that and it is a multi-billion dollar industry. And so I think we can make it make sense, by voting yes in the referendum."
Almost a year ago in February 2024, Durman Dawson, a police officer was caught on camera sexually and physically assaulting a woman officer. He was criminally charged with harm and sexual assault, and in December, he was officially dismissed from the police department. The Commissioner told us more.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "We saw the incident in San Ignacio Town Police Station with Mr Dawson and a woman police officer, Ms Luanna Gillett. That matter was placed before a tribunal and Mr Dawson was tried and convicted by the adjudicator, the adjudicator recommended his dismissal based on the gravity of the charge that recommendation came to me and I affirmed the decision of the adjudicator in dismissing Mr Dawson."
The criminal case against Dawson was scheduled to start today.
On Friday we told you that the UDP standard Bearer for Corozal Bay, Ivan Puerto had resigned. IT was a blow for the Tracy Panton campaign since he had thrown his support behind her. Well, this weekend, both Tracy Panton and Shyne Barrow went to meet with the committee to try and win over their support and declare a new standard bearer.
Reports say that after meetings and deliberation the committee has decided to back Shyne Barrow's leadership - a consequential but not pivotal loss for Panton.
At the end of 2024, the US Embassy put out a travel advisory for Belize - Level 2, exercise increased caution. The summary says, quote, "Violent crime - such as sexual assault, home invasions, armed robberies, and murder - are common even during the day and in tourist areas. A significant portion of violent crime is gang related. Due to high crime, travelers are advised to exercise caution while traveling to the south side of Belize City. Local police lack the resources and training to respond effectively to serious crimes. Most crimes remain unresolved and unprosecuted." End quote.
But the police department has been reporting a steady decrease in major crimes, particularly murders. So we asked the Minister if he has spoke to the Ambassador about the timing and tone of the advisory.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "Yeah, I often times in my discussions with the US embassy is my concerns especially over the last 2 or 3 years where we have seen a downturn in the number of homicides each year. And I think we are actually beating 15 or so state in the homicide rate. So, it could be argued that Belize should be issuing a travel advisory to those 15 states. But we are very close partners with the US embassy. And it is something that I flag each year that it doesn't, it certainly doesn't make sense, in my opinion, why it is that these travel advisories are issued when in fact there is that downturn. But no doubt, I think travelers on their own have seen the beauty and charm of Belize. They don't find it as a violent destination. And so we see that increase, I think, by 60,000 overnight passengers in just 2024, we have increased. So, remarkable numbers, coming out of the Ministry of Tourism. And certainly it doesn't seem that that travel advisory is having any kind of negative effect."
We note that the Minister of Tourism was not so diplomatic and used the R word to describe the advisory on a morning show today.
One of our major highways is receiving a much needed rehabilitation, and the 30 month, 44 million dollar project is being led by MIDH. We spoke to The Chief Engineer at MIDH Evondale Moody today about the Expansion and Rehabilitation of The Phillip Goldson Highway Mile 8 to 24.5. Jomarie Lanza reports.
If you live within the rural areas of Ladyville to Biscayne, expect a disruption in the traffic during early morning commutes into and out of the city in the evenings.
That's because road works are set to commence at the beginning of February along the Philip Goldson Highway.
The Chief Engineer at MIDH gave us more details on this major project.
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH "So the Philip Goldson Highway Upgrading project which is being upgraded by the ministry of infrastructure development and housing commences at mile 8.5 on the Philip Goldson Highway which is at the airport junction and terminates at Mile 24.5 which is in Biscayne so this overall project commenced last year in August with the procurement of contractors of which we had approximately 6 contractors that had purchased bidding documents and at the submission at the date of submission we had 4 contractors who submitted and after the completion of the evaluation you had one successful bidder which was Teichroeb and Sons limited who won the contract for 44 million dollars Belize. The project is being financed through a loan from the Cabei and also with financing from Taiwan with counterpart funding provided by the government of Belize as well. So the project basically entails the upgrading of the Phillip Goldson Highway from Mile 8 as I mentioned to 24 using hot mix asphalt cement."
The road upgrade also includes the construction of roundabouts at four of its busiest junctions. One at the airport access road, another at the Lord's bank cut off, one at Burrell Boom Junction and another leading onto the Northern Highway. Moody gave us more details.
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH "Between the airport junction and Lord's bank where I am speaking about that's approximately one mile and so we will be doing 2 miles of sidewalk side drain so that component in itself is very expensive because sidewalks are roughy running around 900 to 1000 dollars per meter for those sidewalks and also bare in mind we will be constructing four new major roundabouts and these are junctions that were never there before. We will also be doing significant widening going through the Ladyville area because the current carriage way it's only for 24 feet remember we will be building an additional 24 feet beside that inclusive of the center island so its basically a brand new construction for 2 miles within that section."
He adds that due to the duration of the project, residents must remain wary of the fact that while access will be maintained to all properties near the construction area, the flow of traffic might be slower than usual due to safety precautions.
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH "I have to indicate that they will have to expect significant delays even more than what they are having now so we also have on our team a social specialist that will be on the ground very shortly I mean later this week starting to communicate with residents and also the businesses that are on the carriage way that we will be working. Of course the other residents will be impacted by these works and so definitely they will have to probably leave earlier to go to Belize city because there will be delays during the construction period and that is one of the sections where the contractor has also indicated that he wants to commence works as well because at is optimum that we take advance of the dry season working within that area to see how best we could get those line drains within that segment before we go into the rainy season."
"And that is the message that we want to start getting across to the public within Ladyville from now because you won't be able to make that regular left hand turn that you traditionally used to make to go to Belize City you will have to go to the extent to the 2 roundabouts singularly to what we are doing in Belize city the public will complain for a few months but we will have to accept that because a number of accidents have occurred within that segment. We have the primary school there where we know people have gotten knocked down and we are trying to ensure the safety of those kids both at that primary school and Ladyville Tech. So they will have to go up to those 2 roundabouts and make that turn back to Belize City."
According to Moody this is the first major project in which hot mix will be used in the rehabilitation of this highway. He says all the other previous projects had implemented the traditional chip and seal surface dressing.
A life-sized statue of non violence icon Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled at the University of Belize on Friday. The statue was donated to the University by the The High Commission of India to Belize. The Prime Minister was also present at the unveiling, here are the highlights of the ceremony, detailing why they selected UB's campus to house the impressive statue.
Dr Pankaj Sharma, High Commissioner of India to Belize "I express my heartfelt appreciation to the university of Belize for providing a home for the statue. This institution has a beacon of learning and enlightenment is a fitting place for the likeness of Mahatma Gandhi who held education in the highest regard. It will also be important to thank the Indian council for cultural relations for its generous gift of this impressive life like statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi once said live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever. This profound statement encapsulates his belief in the transformative power of education. Mahatma Gandhi viewed education as a means to develop character, instill moral values and empower individuals to contribute positively to society. The decision to install the statue at the university of Belize is therefore deeply symbolic. It serves as an inspiration to students and educators alike to pursue knowledge with humility and to uphold the principles of truth and non violence to dedicate themselves to the service of humanity and the upliftment of the society."
John Briceno, Prime Minister "I don't think you could have found a better place to put it more than here at the university of Belize a center of learning where our young people come every day to learn and to be better citizens and to be better productive citizens and what better example can you get more than the Mahatma a man of extraordinary humility but a will of steel and firm of his beliefs in forming the country we now know as India for it to become an independent nation. There's a lot of similarities with the father of our nation George Price, both of them were extremely spiritual and both of them were very humble but both of them had this will of steel that cannot be bent once they have decided what is it that they want."
Dr. Vincent Palacio "This unveiling of the Mahatma Gandhi statue is a ceremony and reflection of our values. Peace nonviolence and the transformative power of education. Hosting this statue on our campus, on the campus of our university is deeply fitting. This institution serves as a beacon of learning and a gathering place for exchanging ideas much like the ideals Gandhi champion. His vision of truth, harmony and equality resonates with the mission we strive to uphold here. To nurture critical thinking, compassion and leadership in our students."
Gandhi was an Indian leader who used nonviolent resistance to help India gain independence from British rule.
And while he still takes time for the small things, PM Briceno is in full election mode.
Elections are fast approaching, and the PM has confirmed that it will take place in the first half of this year. But with the opposition party still fractured, is the PUP predicting a clean sweep of 31 seats? Kareem Musa said it's a possibility.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "I don't know whether it will be a clean sweep, but I think it's very possible, given the current state of the United Democratic Party."
Courtney Menzies: "Do you think that would bode well for democracy in Belize?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "No, I think in a healthy democracy requires not just a strong opposition, but also a strong media. I think that you guys have been and been exceptional in holding the government accountable. And so for any healthy democracy, not just in media, but you do need a strong, vibrant opposition."
And, consistent with the drive to an election, there are almost daily openings and handing over events.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held in the Cayo district last Friday to pave the road from Bullet Tree village that leads into Spanish Lookout. This 10 million dollar project will benefit the communities of Bullet Tree, Santa Familia, Billy White, Duck Run 1, and Spanish Lookout, enabling them to transport their produce and livestock with ease. Here are the highlights from the ceremony.
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure and Development "This road is a special road for us in the West it is connecting one of the most productive communities which is Spanish Lookout to the rest of the Cayo district we are one family in Belize and we are trying to have that intersection between our cultures our style our way of living and our way of thinking. This project is a special project in a way because it is a public private partnership venture. It is the Spanish lookout community coming together and joining with government, financing the project to be able to make it work and it was one of the ways we found to fast track the bureaucratic way doing road construction if we would have had to gone through the normal procedure it would have taken much longer and we would have had to lobbied much harder and so it would have not been possible to do it in this time frame."
Orlando Habet, Cayo North East, Area Representative "So today we have the groundbreaking ceremony for the pavement of the road from Spanish lookout through the villages in Cayo Northeast mainly Duck Run 1, Billy White, Santa Familia, San Jorge and onto Bullet Tree village. This road is absolutely important for many years we have been looking through various administrations to get those road paved because it is heavily trafficked and we have hundreds and hundreds of workers who move from Bullet Tree village to San Ignacio even that come through this side and work in Spanish lookout and we have farmers who also have access to their farms through this road and as I mentioned very important because about 60 or 70% of all the cattle that goes to Guatemala passes through this road. All the corn and all the things that are exported also through passes through this road and when we have these flooding events it is absolutely important because then apart from those commodities we have chicken, Beef, eggs and milk, ice cream you name it all the food items that have to pass through here when the lower lying bridges are closed so it is important. But the communication aspect is also important because it provides that facility for people to move around. I think the pavement of the road also will increase the values of those properties along the road and maybe even beyond especially those people who might even have their farms for sale. Also the fact that we have areas where we can try to promote tourism. We have a sink hole in Santa familia where many people do not know and it will afford that communication and that transportation to this area where we can build and also get the communities involved to provide some of those aspects for tourism."
The 125th Christmas Bird Count
Our next story is one we tried to air on Friday night - but could not because of one of those ghosts in the machine.
It's about the Christmas Bird Count which takes place from December 14 to January 5 across the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
In Belize, last year's counts recorded between 183 and 265 species at various field locations. Freelance journalist Jose Sanchez has more on the 125th Christmas Bird Count.
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A police officer appeared in court today, charged for theft after he stole from a business woman while on duty.
"My reaction was... I have to hold that back just now. Sometimes I really and truly wonder what goes through the minds of some police honestly. His actions or conduct is disgusting... I won't say much because I have already directed that matter be dealt with. I know we have received a report from the proprietor of the establishment and I had given instructions over the weekend for him to be arrested and charged and I was told that he eventually took back the money with the hope that the matter would not be pursued but believe you me, what I saw on that video footage is certainly something that is unforgivable. We are police officers, we are charged with the trust and confidence of the public. his conduct in that video goes against the grain of what being a police officer is and so he was suspended immediately and I have already directed the legal office to write him, because again as much as the public may be outraged and I agree with them that we all should be outraged, the law requires that we must follow a process and that process is natural justice. So the legal office is going to be writing him today and will ask him in light of the allegation, what is depicted on the video footage, why he should not be dismissed he'll be given 14 days to reply to that letter, he can do so alone or through an attorney and once I get that response from him I will then apply my best judgement looking at his response reasonably and if I should find that his reasons are not justified then I will proceed in his dismissal."
Notably, back in 2018, Graham was detained in connection with a drug plane that landed in Barranco. He was caught in very questionable proximity to the landing but while he was detained, he was never charged and wasn't dismissed from the force. We asked the ComPol about it.
And last week, another cop was in court after he was charged with cruelty to an animal. Today the ComPol said that as long as evidence of this type of crime is presented to the police, they will charge the perpetrator.
Tonight two men are on remand after customs intercepted two disassembled AR-15 rifles with the parts spread out across 6 different barrels.
There was a vicious bar brawl in Punta Gorda town on Saturday night which was caught on surveillance camera.
"I saw that the whole place was destroyed, all my beverages were broken, and mein, it was just a disaster. He offered to compensate me with the loss, all the beverages that were broken, damage, and I consider receive the compensation because in the past, I have heard that people go to court and it's like they have to go through a lot to actually get back something."
It made news in Benque Viejo this morning when hundreds of school children were late for school. That's because they were stuck at the border. All of them come across from Melchor daily. They were backed up at the border crossing well past the start time for school. And why is that? Well, there are just too many of them - more than ever. How many? 912 - which is more than twice what it was 8 years ago when the Immigration Department started using special border cards for the students.
Last week Harrison Sutherland - known in the streets as "Dr Sutherland" - was arrested for a strange charge - carrying a 5 gallon water bottle on his bicycle. While there may be such a law in place, he explained that he was helping an elderly woman.
Road traffic fatalities saw a major increase last year with over 100 persons dying. In the last month of the year, 10 passed away in a single accident. There were also plenty of motorcycle accidents, and teenagers who were killed in some of them.
"Well, of course, it's sort of like a highway patrol. Right now, the mobile interdiction team is more focused on border security. And so the presence, so to speak, is not there. This highway interdiction team, you will actually visibly see them on the highway interdicting offenders. And so there will be a greater presence on our highways that we have not seen before."
An employee of Princess Casino, accused of assaulting a man and his girlfriend with a firearm, appeared at the magistrates court this morning in Belize City. He is a Food and beverage manager, 40 year old Tyron Humes. Just after 12:30 am on Sunday January 12th, 57 year old Edwin Bowen reported to police that he was exiting Princess Casino in the company of his girlfriend when they encountered Humes and another man searching inside of Bowen's green Honda Van which was parked not far from the entrance of the casino's exit gate. As Bowen approached Humes, Humes allegedly pulled out his licensed firearm and threatened Bowen, again allegedly pointing the weapon at him. As Bowen began to step back Humes lunged at him and punched him on the left side of his forehead. Humes was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly instrument. He appeared unrepresented today before a magistrates who read him the charges to which he pleaded not guilty. Due to the nature of the offenses Humes was denied bail and remanded to the Belize Central Prison until February 28th. Very notably, Humes got the license in what we can only call a questionable vetting and approval in 2023 under the Commissioner's hand. 
Almost a year ago in February 2024, Durman Dawson, a police officer was caught on camera sexually and physically assaulting a woman officer. He was criminally charged with harm and sexual assault, and in December, he was officially dismissed from the police department. The Commissioner told us more.
On Friday we told you that the UDP standard Bearer for Corozal Bay, Ivan Puerto had resigned. IT was a blow for the Tracy Panton campaign since he had thrown his support behind her. Well, this weekend, both Tracy Panton and Shyne Barrow went to meet with the committee to try and win over their support and declare a new standard bearer.
One of our major highways is receiving a much needed rehabilitation, and the 30 month, 44 million dollar project is being led by MIDH. We spoke to The Chief Engineer at MIDH Evondale Moody today about the Expansion and Rehabilitation of The Phillip Goldson Highway Mile 8 to 24.5. Jomarie Lanza reports.
"So the Philip Goldson Highway Upgrading project which is being upgraded by the ministry of infrastructure development and housing commences at mile 8.5 on the Philip Goldson Highway which is at the airport junction and terminates at Mile 24.5 which is in Biscayne so this overall project commenced last year in August with the procurement of contractors of which we had approximately 6 contractors that had purchased bidding documents and at the submission at the date of submission we had 4 contractors who submitted and after the completion of the evaluation you had one successful bidder which was Teichroeb and Sons limited who won the contract for 44 million dollars Belize. The project is being financed through a loan from the Cabei and also with financing from Taiwan with counterpart funding provided by the government of Belize as well. So the project basically entails the upgrading of the Phillip Goldson Highway from Mile 8 as I mentioned to 24 using hot mix asphalt cement."
A life-sized statue of non violence icon Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled at the University of Belize on Friday. The statue was donated to the University by the The High Commission of India to Belize. The Prime Minister was also present at the unveiling, here are the highlights of the ceremony, detailing why they selected UB's campus to house the impressive statue.
"I express my heartfelt appreciation to the university of Belize for providing a home for the statue. This institution has a beacon of learning and enlightenment is a fitting place for the likeness of Mahatma Gandhi who held education in the highest regard. It will also be important to thank the Indian council for cultural relations for its generous gift of this impressive life like statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi once said live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever. This profound statement encapsulates his belief in the transformative power of education. Mahatma Gandhi viewed education as a means to develop character, instill moral values and empower individuals to contribute positively to society. The decision to install the statue at the university of Belize is therefore deeply symbolic. It serves as an inspiration to students and educators alike to pursue knowledge with humility and to uphold the principles of truth and non violence to dedicate themselves to the service of humanity and the upliftment of the society."
John Briceno, Prime Minister 
"This unveiling of the Mahatma Gandhi statue is a ceremony and reflection of our values. Peace nonviolence and the transformative power of education. Hosting this statue on our campus, on the campus of our university is deeply fitting. This institution serves as a beacon of learning and a gathering place for exchanging ideas much like the ideals Gandhi champion. His vision of truth, harmony and equality resonates with the mission we strive to uphold here. To nurture critical thinking, compassion and leadership in our students."
And, consistent with the drive to an election, there are almost daily openings and handing over events.
"This road is a special road for us in the West it is connecting one of the most productive communities which is Spanish Lookout to the rest of the Cayo district we are one family in Belize and we are trying to have that intersection between our cultures our style our way of living and our way of thinking. This project is a special project in a way because it is a public private partnership venture. It is the Spanish lookout community coming together and joining with government, financing the project to be able to make it work and it was one of the ways we found to fast track the bureaucratic way doing road construction if we would have had to gone through the normal procedure it would have taken much longer and we would have had to lobbied much harder and so it would have not been possible to do it in this time frame."
"So today we have the groundbreaking ceremony for the pavement of the road from Spanish lookout through the villages in Cayo Northeast mainly Duck Run 1, Billy White, Santa Familia, San Jorge and onto Bullet Tree village. This road is absolutely important for many years we have been looking through various administrations to get those road paved because it is heavily trafficked and we have hundreds and hundreds of workers who move from Bullet Tree village to San Ignacio even that come through this side and work in Spanish lookout and we have farmers who also have access to their farms through this road and as I mentioned very important because about 60 or 70% of all the cattle that goes to Guatemala passes through this road. All the corn and all the things that are exported also through passes through this road and when we have these flooding events it is absolutely important because then apart from those commodities we have chicken, Beef, eggs and milk, ice cream you name it all the food items that have to pass through here when the lower lying bridges are closed so it is important. But the communication aspect is also important because it provides that facility for people to move around. I think the pavement of the road also will increase the values of those properties along the road and maybe even beyond especially those people who might even have their farms for sale. Also the fact that we have areas where we can try to promote tourism. We have a sink hole in Santa familia where many people do not know and it will afford that communication and that transportation to this area where we can build and also get the communities involved to provide some of those aspects for tourism."