While police do have the accused in custody ASP Smith also reprimanded the harmful actions of a media blog that used Ai to enhance a snapshot of the teenage suspect from the surveillance footage. She explained how this affects their investigation process.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"I wish to address a very concerning occurrence that I noted on Social media by one of these I don't know what you refer to them as, what did you refer to them as? News blogs which would have shared an AI enhanced photo of the assumed suspect in this incident. Firstly it is important to note that conducting yourself as such serves to detract the investigative process. The photo that is being displayed looks entirely different from the person who is in custody both in features and in age. The danger that this creates is that there may be just be a man in Belize City who looks like that person that you have broadcasted on social media and that person may be targeted because it was a heinous offense that was committed. So again, I would like to appeal to those members of the media whether the regulated ones or the unregulated ones or there persons who have taken the task onto themselves to be informers or persons who inform the public to be very ethical in your undertaking because you certainly pose lives at risk and you detract from the process of investigation. Investigation as it stands is already hard enough."
