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JOHN SALDIVAR

2012 is four months old and while the murder rate has been on an upward spiral over the past weeks, crime overall is lower than the same period in 2011. That's according to Minister of Police, John Saldivar, who spoke with reporters this morning.

Meanwhile, Saldivar says that already steps have been taken against the officer accused of stealing money from a civilian over the weekend at the Queen Street Police Station. But not only is action being taken against that officer, but his colleagues who aided him.

Saldivar is also touring all the departments under the Ministry of National Security, including the Immigration, Police, and Forensics units. The objective, according to Saldivar is to get a first-hand view of the strengths and shortcomings to improve upon the existing services.

Recently Belize City Mayor, Darrel Bradley, shared his 100-day plan of action for Belize City. One of the major goals is to get approval for a 20 million dollar loan note for an infrastructure project. The project might be more than a hundred days from getting off the ground, but the Council has gotten the nod from the Cabinet for the project. Minister Saldivar said that the green light came during caucus this past Tuesday. And one of the major factors that prosecutors rely upon a lot in the courtroom in order to get convictions is DNA testing. Proposals have been on the table since the last regime to put in place a proper DNA system that would give teeth to the conviction rate. Well according to Minister Saldivar, that reality is just three to four months away.

More interviews here and here

LOVETV

Saldivar Concedes Crime Bad, But Not Worse Than Last Year

At the top of our news we told you about two murders; that brings it to ten murders in the past eleven days.

National Security Minister John Saldivar has the job of coming up with a response to a problem that has thwarted many mighty ministers before him, from Dean Barrow to Jorge Espat to Ralph Fonseca, to Doug Singh. Competent, resourceful guys, but none of them were able to make a meaningful difference in crime - particularly the murder rate.

And now the unenviable task falls to Saldivar - who today told us that it's bad, but so far, not as bad as last year:..

Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of Police
"First of all we got to look at the cup as half full rather than half empty. We are still well below the numbers for last year. Crime still has been reduced compared to last year. Yes we've had some increase incidents over the last few weeks. We are dealing with it, we believe that with through dialogue we can achieve a lot. We've beef-up our police presence; we have come up with some new measures that we are implementing. As a matter of fact that's one of the reason I was in Belize City yesterday evening taking a tour of the various sites to ensure that the new operational plan that we have devised is being implemented."

Saldivar also addressed the embarrassing incident we reported on earlier this week. Special Constable John Myvette and Constable ACASIO TECK was charged for stealing $990 dollars from Ronel Rivero - a man who was seeking safety at the Queen Street Police Station.

And, another officer, Sgt. Aaron Zuniga was also charged with disciplinary OFFENCES for the theft. So, that's three lawmen in an embarassing event for police. Saldivar told us that such actions will not be tolerated:..

Marion Ali, LOVE NEWS
"The police officer who allegedly stolen from the civilian who was seeking refuge at the police station - there is some action being done?"

Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of Police
"Yes we are dealing with it at all levels. We are dealing with the officer who allegedly did the theft, the officers who assisted him in doing the theft and we are dealing with the officer who was on duty at the time; the supervisor at the time that should have had a better control of the station at the time."

"What needs to go before the commission will go before the commission. Those that we can deal with swiftly will be dealt with and swiftly."

"There will be no tolerance for this kind of behavior in the department as long as I am the minister and we are sending that message loud and clear. We are dealing with it through the proper channels."

Marion Ali, LOVE NEWS
"So he is no longer in uniform?"

Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of Police
"At the very least he is on suspension if not about to be terminated."

Sadivar is currently on a countrywide familiarization tour of Police, BDF, Immigration and Coast Guard installations.

Channel 7