Yesterday evening the city was abuzz with two voice notes from a ranking police Superintendent. She was telling a school chat group about the report that a female student escaped an attempted kidnapping on Central American Boulevard.
Couple that with the previous day's report from Orange Walk that a 6 year old student in that town had been briefly abducted by a mystery woman who lured her with an ice cream treat - and both society and social media were tumbling between panic and hysteria.
But, this morning the police press office said "nutton noh got soh." The press officer, ASP Fitzroy Yearwood issued a statement saying, quote, "there are two voice clips being circulated where the voice is identifying herself as a Police Officer...the alleged warning being circulated is not authorized by the Commissioner of Police nor this Office. Both alleged situations in Orange Walk Town and Belize City have been investigated separately and both have been proven to be far from the truth.
In Orange Walk, the minor admitted to telling a lie after she realized that the Police and her mother were looking for her after not being where she was supposed to be.
The alleged attempt kidnapping in Belize City was done by a student who was being truant instead of going to school and decided to lie when she was found out."
So there it is, much about nothing - nothing more than usual childish fibbing, actually.
The 12 year old girl in the Belize City case was questioned by police but her story was full of holes. And, much the same for the 6 year old in Orange Walk.
Today, the Deputy Head of National Crimes Investigation held a rare press briefing to resolutely debunk the rumors:
Supt. Gerald Jones, Deputy Head, NCIB
"We have investigated both matters and we found that they were not true as to what we had expected that they were fabricating both stories. One in Orange Walk and also in Belize City. We will be visiting their parents; we'll be talking to them about this situation because this information is very serious that we take. If you make any false report to the police, you can also be dealt with for that."
Reporter
"And the photo circulating of the black van. There was no such black van in Belize."
Supt. Gerald Jones, Deputy Head, NCIB
"Right, well like I said, we have conducted the investigation that was proven to us not to be true hence the reason Mr. Vasquez, we are resorting to the media outlet to put it out there to ask members of the general public. Parents, guardians and even the school wardens that if in fact any of this situation may occur again, that we channel this information directly to the police and have the police be able to investigate this matter almost immediately. Then, we will see where it goes from there."
It is not expected that any charges will be brought against the persons who made the false reports. The police urge anyone with such a report to feel confident in making it - but to go to the police before Facebook or WhatsApp Chat groups.
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