Bart Jones, Acting Commissioner of Police
“The meeting here today, because I have not been intimately involved in – I was dealing with legal affairs and dealing with other issues within the department that I was not intimately involved with the work of the LIU so we set up this meeting with Brother Dawson to get a briefing from him on what the work of the LIU and how we can continue to work together to improve the kind of word we’ve been doing in trying to stem the violence across Belize City and elsewhere they have been working so it’s basically to get a briefing from Mr Dawson and seeing how we could improve the working relationship.”

“From the police’s perspective it is lowering the issue of armed violence and for us, armed violence is not just the murders, it’s looking at any crime that is committed with a firearm, that is regarded for us as armed violence and it is our objective to try and lower those instances. Yes the murder but also any sort of violence which includes addresses issue from a gender violence where firearms are used within the home aspect.”

Andrew Dawson, LIU Acting Director
“As Jones rightly said, our main discussion points will be collaboration efforts, how we continue to strengthen the partnership with the Leadership Intervention Unit and the Belize Police Department. As you know, LIU is a hybrid unit that has civilians and police officers operating out of that unit. To answer the question that you asked Mr Jones, there’s also room for improvement, there’s also room for us to reassess and restrategize so there’s also need for tweaking of some of the programs. Hence the need for these types of discussions so we can continue to look at where we can maximize on some of the areas, where we can assess and restrategize and reimplement some of the program strategies that we implore through the LIU.”

Price Honored At 14th National Service Day

And as you saw earlier, acting Compol Jones was at the 14th annual Wreath Laying Ceremony for National Service Day.

The event is in honor of Father of the Nation, George Price – who was legendary for his tireless civic clean -up’s.

This morning, that spirit was honored at his resting place. The Prime Minister and other elected officials were there along with members of the Price family and students. Here are a few clips:

Angry Anglers Go Shaken Down By Authorities

And in other news, unless you’re familiar with the world of competitive sport fishing, you might not know about the Legacy of Champions International Fishing Tournament in Roatan. It’s an expensive sport, but every year teams from Belize participate – as they did this years. Form September 11th to 14th.

But one angry angler is peaking out tonight. Jorge Aldana who was one one of the 9 teams that left SanPedro for the event – said the Belize teams suffered a major shakedown by multiple government authorities both leaving and returning. He told us more via zoom:

Jorge Aldana, Charged to Leave Belize By Boat
“When we were leaving some personnels that deal with vessels. You know, you have to check out of Belize. You have to deal with port. You have to deal with immigration, customs and some of these departments charge vessels. Well, charge all vessels that left the port of San Pedro to Roatan. Some of the departments charge $100.. And did not give government receipts, some of them that even gave a receipt.”

“When we left San Pedro. I know that only port authority the customs gave us, a government issued receipt. The other departments who deal with vessels did not give us any government receipt.”

“All they did was pocket $100. We don’t know where that money went.”

“When we returned, we paid out of $450 to different government agencies: customs, immigration, health, Baha and Port Authority and out of those four agencies, upon return, only Immigration Department gave us a $50 government issued receipt. Those are nine vessels that left San Pedro. And if they are doing this to everybody, it is a thievery, it’s corrupt within the department.”

Jules Vasquez
“Maybe maybe they didn’t have the, the, the receipts on hand, the government receipts on hand. Maybe the book was done.”

Jorge Aldana, Charged to Leave Belize By Boat
“All four departments at the same time?”

“And these were immigration officers receiving money. We went to their office to process our document. And at the office, these people have the audacity to just push the money into their pocket.”

“And nobody, everybody is afraid to speak about it because they don’t want to be victimized when leaving port the next year.”

“When we go to Roatan, they don’t charge a single dollar, not a single dollar for any one of these vessels to enter Roatan. When we go to Mahahual or Ixcalak not a single dollar is charged.”

“You don’t have to pay no customs and immigration when you leave the northern border or when you’re entering, when you are going into to Chestumal and leaving to the Mexican border, you know, customs and immigration over the Mexican side anything.”

“We have to be paying our officers to process our document. Something is fundamentally wrong.”

“These are institutional institutionalized corruption. Yes. We talk about politicians being corrupt. And so forth, but we have public office as well. They do the same thing. No difference. If we have to deal with corrupt politicians and deal with corrupt public officers. Something is fundamentally wrong.”

Aldana posted this same information and told us the Prime Minister called him to say he will look into it with the various authorities.

He Worked For Government All His Life, How He Can’t Get His SS Pension

Our final story tonight is about Phillip Martinez. He’s a 63 year old who says he should be getting a Social Security pension after he worked for the government from the late 70’s to the late 90’s. He started in the agriculture department and went to the medical department to the fire department up until 1999 – when he was declared redundant. He then went to live in the US for 21 years – and came home expecting to get his special security pension. But, he’s. Been denied that. He says Social security is telling him there’s no record of his contributions even though he worked for government. He gave us his story:

Phillip Martinez, Fighting for SS Pension
“I cannot get my Social Security benefits from the government of Belize.”

Jules Vasquez
“Why is that?”

Phillip Martinez, Fighting for SS Pension
“They claimed to me that I never was working for the government. They told me that point blank. I said, why? They told me to bring two affidavits.”

“I take the two affidavits, Silburn Arthurs is one, and Mr. Roches is the other. They told me they will look at it and point blank they refuse them. And they told me those men are taking up for me. They’re telling lie for me.”

Jules Vasquez
“Noh man. That can’t be.”

Phillip Martinez, Fighting for SS Pension
“I’m telling you what they told me personally, Mr. Jules.”

Jules Vasquez
“Are you sure?”

Phillip Martinez, Fighting for SS Pension
“Positive. I want to get my benefits, I’m a Belizean and I deserve it. I’m not begging. I work for it already. I put in the time. I put in the time.”

Jules Vasquez
“But how is there no record of you?”

Phillip Martinez, Fighting for SS Pension
“How can I explain that?”

And his explanation is a story that may be attributed more to cultural lore or urban fiction than it can be traced to fact. He says after 9-11, there was news of his death – though it was greatly exaggerated:

Phillip Martinez, Fighting for SS Pension
“When 9-11 come, I was in Chicago. My cousin come to Belize and bring me an Amandala paper stated, I died. In the 9-11, I died. They bring me, honestly, they bring me a picture. Yes, sir. I’m telling you the truth.”

“They bring me a picture and show me, Tinez, you’re dead. I’m not dead, but they say I died. So when I went into social, they get frightened, because the dead man come alive.”

“And this only could be this that happened to me now.”