Government declares state of emergency

Posted: Wednesday, March 18, 2020. 1:23 pm CST.

By BBN Staff:  In an ongoing press conference, Minister of National Security, Mike Peyrefitte said that based on the recent surge of violence in Belize City, the Ministry of National Security has gotten approval from the Governor General to declare a state of emergency.

He also indicated the assistance of police, Belize Defense Force (BDF) and Coast Guard personnel for demarcated areas.

“We have tried everything… now the time has come for gloves to come off,” Peyrefitte said. “If you are a criminal, you are in trouble. You will feel the wrath of the people represented by security forces,” he warned.

He noted that if you are a law abiding citizen, the security forces will treat you with dignity and respect.

“While we are going through this process of big stick approach, we will be doing some analysis and work with anyone on plans to tackle crime in the city,” he said and added; “When we have that conversation, we must demonstrate to criminal elements that their acts won’t continue.”

In measures being implemented, he noted that criminals can be detained for up to 30 days. After 14 days, the public will see the list of detainees and after 30 days, government will determine if it will extend the state of emergency to one year.

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