Police make interventions; Youth Council speaks up

Posted July 8th 2016, 9:23 p.m. CST

By Aaron Humes: In the wake of 3 gruesome murders in one afternoon in the city this week, one on the north side and two on the south side, ACP Chester Williams today made good on his promise to mitigate the crime situation.

This morning between 3:00am and 10:00am an anti-gang operation was conducted within eastern division south. According to information from ACP Williams, during this operation most of the major players in the current gang warfare were taken into custody.

The operation included searches at the home of known gang affiliates for firearms and drugs as well as to bring them to the table to discuss the issues on the streets of Belize City that had fueled this current surge in gang violence.

ACP Williams informed that an intervention was held this afternoon with all the players with a view to defuse the tensions.

In related news, on the heels of the Wednesday murders the National Youth Council has asked the Police Department to add it to the discussion on solutions.

In a press release issued yesterday, the Council went beyond issuing condolences to the families of the deceased and condemning the violence. It stated that violence is “the trend of our generation,” and that its formation is intended to look at the wider interest of our young population and fight for its protection, so to see that our young people are becoming nothing more than statistics is disheartening. Like every other warm‐blooded Belizean, we are beyond concerned, we want a solution! A solution that can drastically change the actions and lives of our young people. The council is prepared to fight to achieve this solution by any means. End quote.

The Council offers firstly to relay the Department’s message to its stakeholders to rebuild trust and confidence, and secondly to add constructive criticism to police planning from young peoples’ perspectives.

The Council also calls on parents, teachers and community leaders to quote, help guide the path on which these young people walk. We want to believe that this problem among our generation can further be avoided if those in the position to guide are not negligent in their social responsibility. At the end of it all, the participation and death of young people can partially be traced to that very negligence. The council asks for you to take up the responsibility and to ensure that those young ones that are still impressionable, don’t fall victim to the same circumstances. End quote.

Finally, speaking directly to the youngsters at the center of the storm, the Council wants them to “hold it down,” and advocate for peace and against hate, war and crime. Look to your left and your right at your brothers and sisters who stand beside you in this generational fight of ours, and do your part to keep them from slipping to the negative ways of the world, it asks.

The Council also wants to hear from other young people at its email address, [email protected].

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