And while there were 125 murder victims - in 2021, the lives of 12 minors were lost to gun violence - and one was stabbed to death.
What are police going to do to stop it?
Musa said that police are aware of the disturbing trend:
Hon. Kareem Musa - Minister of Home Affairs
"It's something that I have harped on, very- I'm very disheartened by that, I have to say, in 2021. While the murders were down, we saw a big difference in the types of murders that were taking place. We saw the recruitment of a lot of young people by these gangs, a lot of young people who don't know why they're killing one another, and a lot of them becoming collateral damage, really, one instance, a mistaken identity, and in another instance, a mistake by a police officer. Those are very regrettable, as Minister. And so, moving forward, a lot of the initiatives that we have been targeting the very very young. As I said, we have to get them enrolled in school. That is why the Minister of Education has already announced that we will have free education in 4 schools on the Southside of Belize City. That's very important, to get these young people back in school. And if they are not academically inclined, then we can get them in any one of the entrepreneurial skills programs that we have, or the vocational skills training program that we have, as part of the Leadership Intervention Unit. So, definitely, our strategy is targeting the very young, and to ensure that they do not fall prey to this type of Gang violence anymore."
