A group of bandits terrorizing Western Belize continue to prey on tourists. Yesterday 17 tourists and four guides were robbed in teakettle and tonight, the news is that they have struck again. Information just in to 7NEWS is that this evening, they struck Black Rock Lodge at the extreme western edge of the Cayo District. Details are hard to come by at this hours and all we could get was a confirmation from the Commissioner of Police that it did happen. Again, details are scarce, but our very preliminary reports say that a group of bandits descended on black rock and held it hostage. We'll have more details on that in Monday night's newscast.
But today our news team was on their trail, one day behind in the area of yesterday's assault. That's 6 miles east of Teakettle Village. 7NEWS visited the site today and pressed the police for answers.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
This is the road heading west from Teakettle Village that 17 tourists and 4 tour guides took yesterday afternoon to get to the Tunich-Hil Mucknal Caves. They were traveling in four minivans. But 6 miles into the road, here at a small concrete bridge that spans the Roaring River, they were ambushed by 4 men: one with a pistol, another with a machete, and the others carrying milita4ry type weapons. The robbery happened at 2:30, but Belmopan police did not get the call until 10 minutes to five, over two hours later. Searches in nearby communities yielded nothing, but police say they do have an idea of who did it.
ACP Edwardo Wade, Commander of Operations
"We have circulated certain photographs that we have as it relates to suspects we believe are the people plaguing the area and at least a couple of those people have been identified so we believe we are aware, we know that it is the same group that had been plaguing the general area that is involved in this particular robbery."
Jules Vasquez,
Do you have any idea about the profile of these people? Are they ex-military perhaps from Guatemala?
ACP Edwardo Wade,
"Well I am not in a position to say whether they are ex-military or otherwise but we know that they are from across the border and based on the tactics that are being used, we believe they may have some sort of experience or training in this type of activity."
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
"We are confident that these people from across the frontier, they are Guatemalans and we've had incidents in the past where areas like El Pilar were being plagued. We put proactive patrols behind there. We are patrolling other areas like the Caracol area, the Jaguar Paw area. But based on the modus operandi and the description and photographs we have, we are certain it is one bunch of Guatemalans from across the border."
Jules Vasquez,
Sir how much of an urgency is this for you? Obviously there is the international embarrassment and market taint that the tourism product gets and then there are the local concerns, the domestic concerns.
Gerald Westby,
"Certainly it has been a concern for us from day Jules. We have been working tirelessly, following leads, posting people, doing searches-only because people are not aware of these many searches we are doing,. Many persons we have detained, many extra patrols we have put out. But again it's a wide area, it's a wife area that we need to cover."
Jules Vasquez,
Sir do you have the resources to cover this area?
Gerald Westby,
"Well Jules anywhere you go you have to prioritize your resources. Whatever resources you have, you need to prioritize, you have to reconfigurate based on analysis, based on more intelligence. You need to reconfigurate your resources and maximize the use of your resources."
Jules Vasquez,
So but with limited resources and you have every municipality has its own reality, everywhere has its own crime problem, are you able to say we need this much man power and motorized power in these areas? Are you able to deploy effectively?
Gerald Westby,
"Well we will be sitting down again with the BDF. We have been having strategic meetings, planning proactively. We will look at the resources we have and then we will see how best we can cover the area as best we can with the resources, of course the BDF and police."
Jules Vasquez,
Looking at it from a operational perspective, are you of the opinion that they have gone more into the interior because of what happened in the Pine Ridge Area and perhaps because you all have heightened patrols in that area?
Gerald Westby,
"Certainly that was a natural conclusion and we must proactive look at the area. It will be difficult for us to cover every area but we must proactively look at the remote areas and see how best we can provide the security."
Jules Vasquez,
Those in the tourism industry are so concerned. They say an advisory has been posted by the U.S. Embassy, a travel advisory for Belize, and it could get worse with this, it could become a warning. And the tourist interests feel that we are under-siege and they feel that it has been going for too long and that your department has only shown that it is unable to catch these people.
Gerald Westby,
"Well we haven't caught them yet but I do not agree that country is underseige at all Jules. As a matter of fact it is only in the western part of the country and we have kept the Embassy and the other people addressed of the efforts and it is not for a want of trying but it is a wide area to cover and we will catch them, and catch them soon."
Jules Vasquez,
Tourism interests in the Cayo District say they are suffering. How soon will we have some relief, how soon will you apprehend this group of bandits?
Gerald Westby,
"Well as soon as possible Jules. We have been working tirelessly and as soon as possible we will apprehend them."
The Commissioner of Police was not in uniform because he had only just returned to office an hour earlier after attending a meeting of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police where visitor safety was the theme. Again, at the time of the interview in the early afternoon, news of today's black rock assault had not reached the Commissioner.
But generally, police believe that this group of bandits have been active throughout Western Belize since June of last year and they are believed to be responsible for as many as 9 armed assaults and robberies, covering a distance from Banana Bank to the Rio Frio Caves, an entire quarter of the country. The first was an armed holdup in Caracol in June of 2005. That's 12 months and in that time police have had 4 meetings with their Guatemalan counterparts to share information.
