PUP Caves To Crime Pressure

After weeks of gang violence spiralling out of control in the city - the PUP government today launched its first southside state of emergency. Now, clearly, this is not a decision taken lightly, after all, it is a move straight out of the UDP playbook - and was one of that party's major tools for crime suppression - a tool which the PUP - while in opposition generously criticised.

But, here they are - now in Government - and finding themselves in the very same problem as the UDP - contending with the wicked problem called gang warfare.

So, they have returned to the only known solution for suppressing crime in the short term - a state of emergency.

The proclamation was signed by the by the Governor General yesterday and went into effect as the clock struck 12:00 last night - and began around 2:00 with police teams swarming the southside and raiding the homes of gang leaders.

The SOE is in effect across 10 areas of Belize City - and basically encompasses everything from Lake I Boulevard to the Port Loyola Area and including right up to Albert street - excluding only the downtown area.

The Commissioner of Police - who believes in the state of emergencies as an effective tool - had been pressing the political directorate to activate it for months. And he finally got his wish. He addressed the media on it an hour ago:

Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"We saw that particularly over the weekend that went, that the shootings were increasing, especially in the Antelope Street extension area where there seems to be an intense feud over the sale of drugs between 2 rivalling groups as well as the Mayflower area. As you all know that feud in that area has been going on for quite some time and it has caused a number of life and again, we saw over the weekend where a teenagers went into the home of Joseph Panting and could have executed 3 persons. So we have seen a number of reckless shootings from these gang figures and so with that I make recommendations to our minister to institute a state of emergency because we have been unable to remove these people off the streets due to non-cooperation on the part of victims and witnesses and so the minister and the cabinet agreed that in order to arrest the situation concerning the fact that we're not getting cooperation to arrest and charge that the best option is to institute the state of emergency. You would know that this government is very slow to use that method and our minister had said before that the state of emergency will always be a measure of last resort when all else fails. I can tell you as well that Mr. Rosado and Mr. Dawson from the prison, Mr. Nunez from the behaviour modification center, Mr. Cadle and a number of other interventions have been extremely busy doing interventions with these different factions but talking seemingly is not working, they are adamant about avenging whatever may have occurred and so with that this morning we went into operation, we had elements of the specialized units within the police department and officers from eastern division and we also had members of Belize Defence Force with us and we executed the state of emergency operation by picking up a total of 24 persons. Those persons are currently in custody, they will be processed and sent to prison."

Channel 7



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Kindly find the below link to Statutory Instrument No. 89 of 2021 -
A PROCLAMATION DECLARING A STATE OF PUBLIC EMERGENCY IN THE SOUTHSIDE OF BELIZE CITY

These regulations came into force on August 18, 2021.

STATUTORY INSTRUMENT No. 89 of 2021A PROCLAMATION

DECLARING A STATE OF PUBLIC EMERGENCY IN THE SOUTHSIDE OF BELIZE CITY
By Her Excellency, Froyla Tzalam Governor-General of Belize

WHEREAS, section 18 (2) of the Belize Constitution provides that the Governor-General may, by proclamation which shall be published in the Gazette, declare that a state of public emergency exists for the purposes of Part II of the Constitution;

AND WHEREAS, section 18 (3) of the Belize Constitution provides that, in order to have effect, the proclamation must contain a declaration of the Governor-General that she is satisfied that a public emergency has arisen as a result of action having been taken or being immediately threatened by any person or body of persons of such a nature and on so extensive a scale as to be likely to endanger the public safety;

AND WHEREAS, section 18 (4) of the Belize Constitution provides that a proclamation made under section 18 (2) may be made so as to apply only to such part of Belize as may be specified in the proclamation;

AND WHEREAS, I am satisfied that a public emergency has arisen in the part of Belize consisting of the part of Belize City known as the Southside, and which is specified in the Schedule, as a result of action having been taken or being immediately threatened by any person or body of persons of such a nature and on so extensive a scale as to be likely to endanger the public safety of the specified part of Belize City;

AND WHEREAS, section 18 (5) of the Belize Constitution provides that a proclamation made by the Governor-General for the purposes of and in accordance with section 18 of the Constitution shall, unless previously revoked, remain in force for a period not exceeding one month; but may be extended from time to time by a resolution passed by the National Assembly for further periods, not exceeding in respect of each such extension a period of twelve months; and may be revoked at any time by a resolution of the National Assembly;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FROYLA TZALAM, Governor- General of Belize, in exercise of the powers vested in me by the above mentioned provisions of the Belize Constitution and otherwise, Do Hereby Declare And Proclaim that effective August 19th, 2021-

(a) a public emergency exists in the part of Belize City, known as the Southside, and which is specified in the Schedule;

(b) this Proclamation shall, unless previously revoked, remain in force for a period not exceeding one month, or such longer period, not exceeding twelve months, as may be determined by resolution passed by the National Assembly.

GIVEN under my hand and the Public Seal of Belize this

18th day of August, 2021.

Parts of Belize City in which a State of Public Emergency Exists

1. All that area bounded on the East by Sittee Street, on the West by Central American Boulevard and running North to South from the Belize River to Vernon Street, encompassing all streets within.

2. All that area bounded on the East by Albert Street, on the West by East Collet Canal, South by Cemetery Lane and North by Cemetery Road and Orange Street, encompassing all streets within.

3. All that area bounded on the East by Oleander Street, on the West by McKay Boulevard and running North to South from the Belize River to Mahogany Street, encompassing all streets within.

4. All that area bounded on the East by McKay Boulevard, on the West by Chetumal Boulevard and running North to South from the Riverside Street to Mahogany Street into Holy Emmanuel Street, encompassing all streets within.

5. All that area bounded on the East of Western Avenue, on the West by Chetumal Boulevard, South by George Price Highway and North by Mahogany Street and Holy Emmanuel Street, encompassing all streets within.

6. All that area bounded East by Youth for the Future Drive, South by Vernon Street and Sittee Street and North by the Belize River, encompassing all streets within.

7. All that area bounded West by East Collet Canal, North by Belize River, East by West Canal and South by Cemetery Road, encompassing all streets within.

8. All that area of land bounded East by Central American Boulevard, North by the George Price Highway, South by Neal's Penn Road Extension, West by Baldwin Drive and all streets within.

9. All that area of land bounded East corner Collet Canal and Cemetery Road to corner Cemetery Road and West Canal, then corner Cemetery Road and West Canal to Corner West Collet Canal and Racecourse Street, from corner East Collet Canal and Central American Boulevard to Yarborough Bridge, corner Yarborough Road and East Canal.

10. All that area of land bounded from Corner South Creek and Fairweather Street to corner Fairweather Street and the Caribbean Sea to the corner Kraal Road and the Caribbean Sea to the corner Caesar Ridge Road and Kraal Road up to the corner Caesar Ridge Road and Gill Street and corner Caesar Ridge Road and Central American Boulevard and South Creek, corner Central American Boulevard and South Creek to corner South Creek and Fairweather then corner Fairweather and the Caribbean Sea.

GOD SAVE BELIZE!!

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