And, COVID is also the concern that the Commissioner of Police has after a video surfaced showing his police officers partying away without masks, social distance. It happened at a house in a video obtained by Breaking Belize News. There was some uncertainty whether the party - involving Belize city officers - happened during the COVID regulation time frame.
The commissioner confirmed that it did and said he's not going to tolerate it:
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"What is your reaction to the video?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
(sigh) "Mr. Vasquez to be honest I am appalled and very much disappointed in that video where a number of police officers including a senior police officer was seen in uniform at some social event consuming alcohol. This is not what our department is about - breaking the same law that they are supposed to be upholding. Very disappointing. Nonetheless, I have directed the professional standard branch to address the matter and I expect that all those officers who are in that video that they will be charged criminally like any other civilian who have violated the quarantine regulations. We have to be stern when it comes to our officers who breach the regulation. It cannot be that police officers are going to believe that they are above the law and people must do as they say and not as they do. It cannot be countenance."
"The issue is that the quarantine regulation clearly state that there shall be no social event and they were at a social event. That is a violation of attending a prohibited event. Some of them were not wearing mask and clearly, from the video to some extent some of them were not adhering to social distance protocol. When it comes to the issue of consuming alcohol in uniform, that is a disciplinary issue that we would have address internally. Then we can be criticized for doing nothing. But I can assure you and the public that this matter is not going to go unpunished. The actions of those police officers is out rightly disrespectful to the uniform. It is a violation of the law and it will not be countenance. They must be dealt with."
"We don't know who is Covid19 positive and for them to be interacting with each other the way we saw on that video, it is putting themselves at risk as well. Because if one person within that setting would have been Covid19 positive then the whole set could have been infected."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"If you look at it briefly from the other side however, you know that police officers right now are under more stress than ever before probably in the history of the department and we know that they need an outlet. Yes, people must do their thing responsibly and always within the ambit of the law, but might you be incline to at least be a little lenient."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Well Mr. Vasquez the ordinary man on the street would have to be given the same consideration, because everybody in the country is under severe stress and pressure into Covid19 and so for me that is no excuse. I don't think nobody is under more pressure than I am and I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't party."
Some have used the police party to launch a backlash at Commissioner Williams and his department. After all the cops have been cracking down on parties and public gatherings - and arresting scores of people never the weekend for just that offence.
And now they're caught on camera doing the same. The Compol says it's a false analogy:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"I have seen the discourse on social media with everyone pumping their chest and say awww Chester what are you going to do now. For Christ sake I am one man and I am not the parents of none of these officers and I don't monitor what every police officer do on or off duty. To try and put blame on myself or the police high command for the actions of these irresponsible police officers it's totally unfair."
