Posted: Tuesday, September 30, 2025. 5:49 pm CST.
By Aaron Humes: A crime spree that has left the City reeling was at the forefront of discussions Monday as Acting Commissioner of Police Bart Jones held a decisive meeting with his commanders in Belmopan in response to a series of shootings and escalating gang-related violence that has resulted in multiple casualties over the weekend.
It began on Friday evening with a brazen shooting on the Phillip Goldson Highway, right in front of a school during the busy traffic hours. Witnesses reported hearing dozens of gunshots, sending shockwaves through the community. Since that incident, retaliatory violence has led to at least six individuals being shot and two others losing their lives.
In a press briefing, Commissioner Jones acknowledged the gravity of the situation. “The last seventy-two hours or so, we have seen a number of shootings and violent crimes in Belize City and other parts of the country. Firstly, let me take this opportunity to send the department’s condolences to those who have lost loved ones to the violence over the past few days. I want to express the department’s concerns to the many families or Belizeans who may have been or still shaken by the level of violence that occurred within their respective communities. This is something that the department cannot countenance, and we will [take] decisive action to address this situation,” he said.
To combat this crisis, the Commissioner outlined a series of measures aimed at addressing the gang-fueled violence: “We are going to see in the coming days targeted intelligence-led operation combined with our efforts with the Leadership Intervention Unit to try and mitigate or immediate some of the actions or the causes of some of this violence in the streets. The police will also be looking at the investigative files as it relates to the gang offenses to see if charges can be preferred against some of these gang leaders we believe are behind this senseless violence. The department will not stand to and allow citizen security to be further eroded and we will certainly, as I said, take decisive actions to address the situation.
Acting Commissioner Jones called on the law-abiding public for their support while warning the criminals: “We, aforehand, want to beg on the public’s patience and support because some of our actions may to some degree impact on the lives of law-abiding citizens in terms of our checkpoints, in terms of our searches, but we will at best try to minimize the lessening effects of the non-participating public in this kind of acts of violence. To the criminals, we say that we will be decipher after you with maintaining the, within the confines of the law, of course. And so we want you to remember as well that these acts of violence does not also put your family at risk because the risk of retaliation. So if you think about taking up the gun, you have to remember as well that your families can be impacted by the violence in retaliation.”
Finally, Jones emphasized the need for decisive action to confront this alarming trend. “The shootings along the Phillip Goldson Highway, East Canal, and Old Belize appear to be connected to gang activity. We are determined to tackle this challenge head-on,” he affirmed.
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The post After violent crime wave shakes Belize City, Acting Commissioner promises crackdown appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Tuesday, September 30, 2025. 5:49 pm CST. By Aaron Humes: A crime spree that has left the City reeling was at the forefront of discussions
The post After violent crime wave shakes Belize City, Acting Commissioner promises crackdown appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
