And while the Compol got heated when defending his side-gig, he was in good spirits generally. And that's because we met him at the COMPSTAT meeting - which is a police statistical review of major crimes.
The good news this year is that - unlike last year - major crimes are down - and murder is down sharply. At the end of September there were 18 fewer murders in 2023 than there were at this time in 2022.
The Compol discussed the sharp decrease:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"The current statistics as we have presented this morning is showing that murders are done by 22% and overall and overall major crime is done by 2%. So I am proud to report to the nation that when it comes to the overall criminal outlook for the country, crime is done, particularly when it comes to murders from 2012 to present."
"The three least deadliest year we have had was 2013 when we had 99 murders, 2020 when we had 103 and 2022 when we had 113. And when we look at our figures so far for 2023, we are down at this time compared to those three years where we had had great success."
"So I can say that the numbers are looking good but it is not time for us to sing kumbaya and celebrate. The year still has three more months to go and we must, as I said to my commanders, that they must ensure that they keep up the work that they have been doing, pressing officers to work while keeping them motivated."
"When it comes to murders, the western region would be second and then the northern region would be third and the southern region would have the least murder activity. When it comes to overall major crime, we will see that the Belize district is leading, followed closely by the west and then the south."
"What is plaguing the south is the issue of burglaries. There is a lot of burglaries coming out of the independence area, particularly independence and the Bella Vista. From what I am told by the officers, there is one particular individual who is committing these burglaries but every time he is arrested and charged, he goes before the court, he is granted bail, if he pleases guilty, he is given a fine and as he comes out, he goes and burglaries again."
"So we need to find a way to get that person to prison out of circulation."
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