The type of prison van that Derrick Uh died in is still in use in at least two formations across the country. As has been widely reported, police forgot the 20 year old in there after he was detained for a minor offence. He died of heatstroke and was found dead inside the van 13 hours later. 4 officers were charged for manslaughter as a result.
The Commissioner says they are trying to re-design the vans - with input from partners:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"The prison vans are still being used at this time, we have commissioned a group of officers to look at the way how the vans are structured and to see how in any way we can retrofit these vans to be able to suit our local circumstance. As I have said before we are getting 2 of those vans in very shortly again and when those 2 comes in, we are not going to utilize them until we can look at how we can retrofit them to suit our circumstances and I would then invite the human rights commission to be a part of that team to look at how best we can have the van structured in order to suit the human needs of persons who are ferried in any enclosed vehicle."
The Human Rights Commission of Belize criticized the Commissioner for accepting the use of police vans as a holding cell, once the air conditioning is on. They have urged that "An alternative arrangement should be put in place immediately."
