Back in 2020, when Plan Belize was just a standard 5 year election manifesto, the PUP promised to increase the number of police officers to 4,000. Since then, the manifesto has somehow morphed into a medium term plan for Belize.
And they're nowhere near completing that promise, so we asked the minister whether we can mark that 5 year target as a failure.
Jules Vasquez:
"Would you concede that it is a failure to have not reached that 4000 police?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"Absolutely not. Jules, I don't know what you think, how much space you think we have at the police training academy, but we can only facilitate 225."
Jules Vasquez:
"Yeah, but you made the pledge."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"Yes. It's over time. Have you heard that Plan Belize is a ten year plan, have you?"
Jules Vasquez:
"You all are moving the goalposts."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"No, no, no, but in the last four years, I can assure you, Jules, that we've had the most recruitments, than any other administration. And I think our numbers are all the way up to 2600 going up with the next recruit intake that's coming out in May. So, every year we've had at least one, if not two squads coming out from our PTA. "
Jules Vasquez:
"As you face this room of senior officers here, one has the feeling that the department is top heavy when I look at it. And I may be wrong, but it seems that we have a lot of senior officers, certainly more than ever before. I know that the department is growing in size, but is it indicative of a certain administrative bloat?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"I would not say that at all, Jules. It's just a matter of time. A lot of our officers have graduated to the next level, so to speak. They're in very critical, leadership positions. As you know, we have police stations that are coming up in Trial Farm, we just opened one in Santa Elena in Kontiki. And a few more coming out. And so you do need more leaders within the department. And so these are the leaders of our police department."
