Belize : Police commissioner responds after UDP calls for his resignation

Belize: After the United Democratic Party (UDP) of Belize demanded Police Commissioner Chester Williams ' resignation, the official responded to the opposition.

He stated that he is happy to serve as a police commissioner under the governance of both parties, such as UDP and the People's United Party (PUP).

Police Commissioner of Belize Williams responded and said, "Some people stay in a corner and pray for crime to increase with the hope that they can get on board a political tide to take them where they want to be. I say the lives of our people being lost in our streets is not and should not be taken for as political," he added.

Williams stated that the society has changed, and the country has a younger generation with a greater propensity for violence which has made policing more complex. He said despite the challenges, the police have still been able to maintain our murder rate to a level below the previous years.

He said the complexity of crime requires a multi-sectoral approach, and that is why the ministers and police department have teamed up with other ministries and departments to form a multi-sectoral approach to fight crime.

"Yes, we cannot expect this approach to erase all the damage that was done for over a decade. It certainly will take time to become fully effective. In the meantime, we continue to do our best to investigate and suppress the problem to prevent the situation from getting out of control," he added.

Furthermore, he emphasized,"I am happy that I have served as Commissioner under both political parties and know what both crime-fighting strategies are,".

He stated that the current situation in Belize seems very political, "the fact that the messenger knows well that the crime problem existed before and that during his time as minister we did a lot to address it and it still persists then,".

While referring to the Minister of security, Williams stated that he is happy to be working with him because he is committed to making a difference by working with other stakeholders.