Last year the get - tough catch phrase from Police Minister Hon. Ralph Fonseca was: "the conversation is over." Fonseca was, of course, referring to the disaffected young males of Belize City commonly - and disparagingly - referred to as "gang boys."
Well, today the conversation with the so-called "gang boys" is back on - but this time it's called operation positive reinforcement. The operation started with a mini summit at the Youth for the Future Headquarters in Belize City. It was chaired by the Program's Executive Director Nuri Mohammed, with Commissioner of Police Carmen Zetina on one side and six members of a youth collective called "Street Based Advisory" on the other.
No media was invited, but according to a release the youths expressed their desire to work with government. Meetings are now expected to be held regularly.