AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Anti loitering operation upsets targeted residents

Let me give my contribution to this as a Born Belizean...
1) Everyone is entitle under our constitution to freedom of movement... and restricting them from free movement violates their rights
2) Under the same constitution - no one should be unlawfully incarcerated or arrested. They were arrested without charges thus making it their detention illegal... and yes it violates their constitutional rights!
3) Yes there is a problem that needs to be solved... I hate to hear people (tourist) giving their option base of sentiments... i base myself on reality. Some of them are Belizean born like myself and i hate to see them harassing people, using public area to sell drugs etc etc etc... But the way the police and the government agencies are dealing with it is not the right way! They need to be charged with something (loitering in public area etc etc etc) and then move on from there.
4) Some of you guys are too fast to criticism our justice system without knowing how it operates. Our laws and court system is base on a Old British system. A man is innocent until proven guilty. The police does not judge anyone... they are responsible to arrest and charge people. It is the judge, a desperate entity from the police department, that is responsible for allowing these people to constantly being out of the street for whatever evidence or lack of it. STOP BLAMING THE POLICE FOR "RELEASING" these constant law breakers. In our court system, you have to convince the judge, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a person is guilty.
5) We are the ones that live with the problem and so i humbly ask those who don't live here, to stop telling us what we should do or not do. Those people harassing our tourist need to understand that they cannot do what they are doing and they are not welcome to conduct their illicit businesses.

I will happily not tell you what to do. After all it is your country and if you choose to kill the goose that is laying the golden that is certainly your prerogative. At the end of the day what will matter is the impression left with the tourists and if they choose not to come back or tell their friends it is not a nice place then you will have beautiful Belize all to yourself. Good luck.

) Under the same constitution - no one should be unlawfully incarcerated or arrested. They were arrested without charges thus making it their detention illegal... and yes it violates their constitutional rights!

Wrong. Your Prime Minister made it legal for the police to arrest and detain someone for 48 hours without the right to speak to anyone. And then, they can once again throw them in jail for another 48 hours once they leave the police station without being charged for any crime.
You would be better off understanding better what your country is doing when it comes to a person's rights than complaining about what others think of your country.

Maybe the residents and law abiding locals should have regular "take back the night" rallies at central park. Instead of complaining about how "no one" can go to the park because that is (as SP Daily called it) "cruising a rough area", starve out the bad element instead of leaving them to their own devices.

And yes, I would try to organize such if I was there even more often than I am now.

There are successful neighborhood watch areas, why not something similar for park and beach.

Bywarren, excellent point!! But I must be careful not to get started on my opinions regarding judges and detective work in BZE.

According to ByWarren, it's Belize's NDAA only those souls get only a 48 hour hold without charges or phone calls or attorney representation. At least it is not indefinite incarceration without due process. Whew.

I guess I have two cents worth of input as well.

I think we need to realize that there are many rules, laws and ordinances that have not been enforced over the years but when the streets and beaches start to get crowded with opportunity there are going to be people that want to take advantage.

Saying it is not a problem is simply denial. If you think the current program is a bad one then by all means provide us with another solution?

I am fine with weirdo's but the drugs and harassment is why a lot of travelers stopped going to Jamaica and Mexico and frankly we have benefited from their inability to manage these situations.

We have drug dealers, illegal tour operators, unlicensed sales people, inappropriate timeshare people and flat out thieves that speak to and endanger tourists every day. We need to apply whatever the law provides to get these people out of here or make them understand that we will not tolerate that behavior.

This will lead to some wrongful detentions and there will be people with valid complaints but I think that is a better solution then just waiting for a few thugs to destroy the means of this community.

Not so innocent now... http://www.sanpedrosun.com/crime-an...nt-critical-following-stabbing-incident/

Exactly.

I gotta admit . . .wow. I just can't get over how stupid some folk can be. What is the deal with the stabbing and the smashing with pint bottles and crap? Grrr

I am new to this forum and planning my first trip to AC in JAN. I have been in several Carribean islands, and understand about the peddlers and the drug dealers. Just say no usually works very well for them and I dont find it a particularly annoying situation. But it is annoying, nonetheless...

The robberies, stabbings agressive behavior etc. are of greater concern, particularly given the State Dept edict. I thought most of this was gang related and contained in Belize City, but it is distressing to hear all this agida developing in AC. Why do I want to come here and drop $5M and put up with all this? I can get this stuff at home...