Police Monitoring 29 Active Gangs in Belize City

As the situation currently stands, the Belize Police Department is navigating as many as twenty-nine gangs in Belize City.  Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, says the proximity of these gangs are so close to each other which makes the situation extremely sensitive.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs: “We currently have approximately 29 gangs within a six mile radius right here in Belize City. And so it’s no longer just Majestic Alley or George Street. We have gangs all across, splintered all across Belize City and growing elsewhere as well. You look at Hattieville, you look at Dangriga, you look at Roaring Creek and Camalote all of these communities now have gangs. As both of you know, when it comes to gang violence, it’s perhaps one of the most difficult forms of violence to police because individuals might know who it is shot after them, but they will not go into a police station and give a statement. Instead, they will take matters into their own hands. And so you always hear people saying, well why the police not doing their work? The police knows exactly who it is that pulled the trigger, you know, but that is not what will hold up in court. You need the victim or the shooting or an eyewitness to give a statement against the shooter in order for there to be charges.  What do you then do when you don’t have that type of evidence?”