While we had the opportunity, we asked the police about the latest statistics which the Belize Crime Observatory released last week. According to their analysis, major crimes in both Urban and Rural Belize are up by 33% compared to last year. In addition, major crimes are one and a half times more likely to occur in the Urban Belize District than in the rural areas.
Nationally, major crimes are also up this year.
The ComPol, who is always ready to argue with our newsroom about crime statistics, was very measured in his comments today when we asked about it.
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"I don't like to mess with these numbers too much. I saw your director ranting on SunUp morning."
Daniel Ortiz
"Jules, you mean."
Chester Williams
"Well, that's your director, your news director - ranting on Sunup this morning and, to some extent, trying to make the Belizean people feel that the Minister had misled the media with respect to the crime stats. Right now, I don't have the stats on me. So, I cannot comment objectively on it. The only crime I follow most is murder, and the reason for that is because a life lost, to me, is an entire family who gets affected by it. My team and I work tirelessly to try to avert murders from occurring. As far as I am aware, without the stats available, the murders are down compared to last year. So, I heard your director say that the Minister should compare this year's stats to 2021. Well, I will compare 2021 murder stats to 2022 stats, and the figures are down by more than 10, which is around a 16 to 20% reduction, and he can fact-check me on this too."
Daniel Ortiz
"You know he will."
Chester Williams
[Laughs].
ComPol Williams also insisted that major crime statistics must be discussed in the proper context. Here's how he insisted that although poverty increased during the two years of the COVID pandemic, major crime stats are down compared to the Pre-COVID year of 2018:
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"When it comes to the other major crimes, I will have to consult on where we are with it. But again, I think that your director - I am not trying to be too hard on my friend. I think your director needs to be cognizant that even if you were to compare 2022 stats to 2018, and you can show that in 2022, you have a reduction compared to 2018, it is something that should be applauded. 2018 was pre-COVID. That's one. And two, in 2018, we had less population than in 2021. With an increase in population, you would anticipate that there would also be an increase in crime. COVID came and has put many people into poverty. Those persons who were on the marginal line have now fallen back into poverty due to COVID, and like he rightly said this morning. One of the leading causes of crime is poverty. So, if you have more people in poverty now because of COVID, you would anticipate that 2022 major crimes would be well above 2018. But we are still down."
