Opposition Leader Urges Bipartisan Strategy on Belize’s Crime Crisis

Leader of the Opposition, Tracy Panton, is calling for a unified and bipartisan approach to addressing the nation’s escalating crime crisis. Panton’s plea follows the recent announcement of a leadership change within the Belize Police Department. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, will be vacating the office at the month’s end, and Dr. Richard Rosado will officially take up the post. While acknowledging the service of Williams, Panton emphasized that the change in leadership presents an opportunity for renewed focus on crime prevention and community safety. She spoke about the department’s state and why she believes there is a need for greater input from the opposition. 

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition: “You know I don’t make things personal. I think the Commissioner of Police is an important function of any government administration. The police department is an important function as it relates to citizen security. We continue to, as a country, to struggle with crime and particularly with gang-related crime activity. I have always felt that it really needs to have a bipartisan approach, a more national focus in terms of how we engage and what kind of  strategies are employed for crime-related solutions. The present Minister of National  Security or Home Affairs doesn’t share that view. He believes that they were elected to govern and that they should come up with those solutions themselves. I think the time has come though in this country where regardless of political affiliation there are some issues that require a national focus, a national approach to finding the solutions we need. We certainly have been asking for it even with my predecessor and those, we continue to advocate for solutions that make sense and for approaches that make the most sense for the Belizean people. We want to make sure that our citizens are safe, they are safe in their homes, they are safe in their communities and whatever we can do to contribute to finding a meaningful solution, we are certainly prepared to act accordingly.” 

Panton says her party’s is ready to collaborate on results-driven efforts to curb crime in the country.