Home Affairs CEO Post Still Vacant as Bart Jones Emerges Frontrunner

More than two weeks after Minister Oscar Mira assumed the portfolio of Home Affairs, the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the ministry remains pending, raising questions about the pace of administrative transition within one of Belize’s most critical public safety portfolios.  Minister Mira took office 17 days ago, with one of his earliest actions being the removal of former CEO Sharole Carr-Saldivar. However, while several names have since been circulated for the replacement post, a final decision has yet to be made. Among those reportedly under consideration, Deputy Commissioner of Police Bart Jones has emerged as the leading frontrunner.  Speaking with Love News, Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado said that should Jones be selected for the CEO position, he is confident the two would maintain a strong and effective working relationship.  The Commissioner also noted that should Jones transition from his current role as Deputy Commissioner of Police to the CEO post, arrangements would be made to appoint a suitable replacement to ensure continuity at the command level of the Police Department.

Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police: “Bart Jones and I we have a good working relationship and I would welcome and I believe it would be extremely productive and I would look forward if he would become the CEO for the Ministry of Home Affairs because of the good working relationship we have together and I think both of us understand the challenges of policing. Both of us understand the challenges of the police department, both of us understand the dynamics of the different communities. And together, I believe we will be able to form a good partnership in advancing the police department forward and in making our community much safer. In terms of the, if he would transition to CEO we have a number of assistant commissioners that can be elevated to that post. We have ACP Anderson. We have ACP Allen and ACP Grinnage.. So there’s a number of competent police officers that can fill that vacancy.”

Dr. Rosado described Jones as a seasoned professional whose legal background and policing experience would serve the Ministry well. Jones holds a law degree and has built a reputation within the Belize Police Department as a disciplined administrator with deep operational knowledge, having worked closely with senior leadership on policy implementation, legal compliance, and strategic management of law-enforcement operations./