And, while that cop would probably wish he could go into witness protection tonight, there's no such program in Belize. But the U.S. Embassy Belmopan and the Government of Belize spoke about implementing one today.
It was the second high-level Virtual Roundtable Discussion on Witness Protection and Victim Care, and it focused on the feasibility of implementing a witness protection program in Belize as well as addressing gaps in current legislation protecting crime victims and witnesses.
Participants included Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa, Attorney General Magali Marin-Young, Supreme Court Justice Antoinette Moore, and Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, and U.S. Chargé d'Affaires, Keith Gilges - as well as representatives form multiple government departments.
A release notes that "i n 2006, Belize signed into law the Justice Protection Act which was created to provide legal protections to witnesses and victims of crime. The legislation provided the framework for the creation of a witness protection program in Belize", but implementation has proved difficult.
So, what happens next? Well,each agency participating in the roundtable will identify representatives for working groups to find ways to operationalise a witness protection program. The release notes that "challenges remain for implementing such a system in a country with a relatively small population and geographic area."
