A public consultation on the controversial Thirteenth Amendment drew little public interest today in Belmopan. This was the government’s second public consultation on the controversial Thirteenth Amendment; the first was in Belize City.
The amendment has stirred debate for weeks, primarily at the proposed ‘special zones’, areas where police could search and detain people without a warrant.
Government officials argue it’s a necessary tool to combat gang violence in Belize City and other areas of concern. “When crime and violence among feuding gangs becomes so intense that there is constant retaliation among these groups and that often times leads to the lose of innocent lives in Belize, not just gang members,” said Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith said the data backs up the need for stronger enforcement measures. “Of the 48 murders in Belize City in 2020, 30 were gang-related. Over the last period, we recorded 24 gang-related murders, which is a reduction. These graphs certainly demonstrate how effective the passage of SOEs has been as it relates to combatting the scourge of gang violence,” she said.
Still, many remain concerned that the amendment would grant police too much power. “I’ve heard persons say that any police that have issues with you, they can just pick you up and take you in; that is not the case. It is a process,” Smith stated.
She explained that the amendment adds more checks and balances compared to the past. “As opposed to the past, where it was the minister that made that determination for the SOE, or in this case special areas to be declared, it will be the governor general acting on the advice of the national security council.”
Smith also stressed that the amendment does not open the door for abuse by law enforcement. She said that “it is not a license for police officers to do what they do. It does not give them any more rights or ability to conduct themselves not beneficial to the interest of the state…Before any person is detained and taken to the Belize Central Prison, it is not any police officer that has the right to do that. There has to be a specific detention order that would have been issued by the commissioner of police and signed by the minister with responsibility.”