UDP Accuses Commissioner of Police of Manipulating Crime Statistics Amid Rising Murder Rate

The United Democratic Party (UDP) is condemning the Commissioner of Police for what the party says is a manipulation of crime statistics by the police department. The UDP issued a statement today, calling out Commissioner Chester Williams for his response to Party Leader Moses Shyne Barrow’s commentary on the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation response. The UDP told Williams, that, quote, “fabricated crime statistics will not improve citizens’ sense of security and the reality faced daily by Belizeans.” End of quote. Analyzing the statistics, the UDP says that the murder rate is higher than last year, despite the three-month state of emergency which saw known gang affiliates preventatively detained in the Belize and Cayo districts. The party says that, at the time of the SOE, murders had increased by 44 percent, 59 in June 2024 as opposed to 41 in June of 2023. The UDP’s analysis also pointed out that the total murders stands at 76 with 12 more days in September, while there were 68 murders at the end of September 2023. The party went on to say, quote, “On June 24, 2024, when we reviewed the Crime Comparative analysis from 2023, there were only 41 murders recorded on the Belize Crime Observatory for January to June 2023. There are now 44. This may be a deliberate attempt to report a lower-than-actual murder rate increase. Also, the police figures show only 66 murders up to August, our figures, based on news reports, show 71,” End of quote. The UDP reiterated its call to the Prime Minister to replace Commissioner Williams as well as Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa.