San Pedro Town - Greater Belize Media

B.I.M.F.F.: An Economic Boost for San Pedro

The Belize International Music and Food Festival had its hiccups, but it was a significant boost for business in San Pedro. While the official figures are yet to be released, the preliminary report is that the event provided economic stimulus to the town during the tourism off season. News Five’s Marion Ali spoke with the Chairman of the Belize Tourism Industry Association’s San Pedro Chapter, who said the event benefited everyone economically. Here’s that report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

The Belize International Music and Food Festival has been described as hugely successful from an economic standpoint. The event is said to be on par with San Pedro Lobster Fest. Chairman of San Pedro’s BTIA, Nicholas Scavone tells News Five that the population literally doubled over the weekend.

Nicholas Scavone, Chairperson, B.T.I.A., San Pedro Branch

“I had heard that it was fifteen thousand people attend the music fest. The population – the resting population of the entire town of San Pedro, right? That was there, so you had our fifteen thousand plus fifteen thousand that came in. Even though it was raining, people were out there in the rain dancing. There was food, there was music. All the restaurants were full, the nightclubs were full, the town was full; the suppliers and the grocery stores had just gotten their supplies that week, and already you could see the huge dent that the local uptick in tourism has put on that. So it’s really extended our season right through up to the end of July. It was a tremendous success and a tremendous economic push for our island.”

Preliminary reports are that hotel occupancy in San Pedro was significantly higher for people in that industry. Scavone says the festival, along with other major events are the reasons for the increase.

Nicholas Scavone

“We had a lot of people from the mainland, a lot of local people came in and enjoyed the time, taking advantage of the lower rates, and we did have quite a number of tourists that came down. Whether they came down specifically for the music fest or not, I cannot be sure but July, in general, saw a good uptick for I know we had some for lobster fest. We know there’s a traditional amount of people that come down for the lobster fest. We did have people that came over in some quantity for the fishing tournament that we have here and I can only think that the music fest added to that attraction, which kept them here, perhaps, but occupancies in the hotels were significantly higher than we normally would expect for this time in July.”

According to Scavone, the infusion of economic activity in San Pedro during the off-season is welcoming because it created good business for everyone who rely on tourism.

Nicholas Scavone

“A lot of it goes into the pockets of the hoteliers, the restauranteurs, the taxi drivers the people who sell the crafts, the bars Bowen and Bowen for selling their products, the wholesalers, the distributors, the grocery stores, because people come down and everybody stops off at the various grocery stores in there filling up. The benefits from that, just all-around vendors, all that money goes into their pockets. And of course the flow through from that is the increased level of GST we get, the fact that the B.T.B. gets more hotel tax coming in on the 9 percent of the uptick in occupancy.”

Estimates of revenues to the Belize Tourism Board have not yet been released. Marion Ali for News Five.

B.T.I.A. Says San Pedro Traffic was Chaotic Over Weekend

Scavone said that if there was one downside to the festival it was the chaos that the overcrowding caused to the traffic in San Pedro. The island town, known for already congested streets during peak time, was overwhelmed this weekend. Scavone said that there are other back streets that have recently been paved that helped in the flow of traffic, but the closure of others impeded the flow in those main areas.

Nichloas Scavone, Chair, B.T.I.A., San Pedro Branch

“Our roads are not built for the level and the quantity of tourists and golf carts that we get traditionally. Traffic is bad during season on any given day. It was particularly bad because they started closing off roads; they close off usually for Lobster Fest, they’ll close off just the one section by Sacachispas Park. But for this, they closed off the entire street, which really puts a crimp in the ability for carts to get around. Yes, congestion was a real problem; a lot of people, a lot of congestion, a lot of delays, a lot of just – I was reading he was parked by Minnelli’s Ice Cream and it took him half an hour to get a break in the traffic long enough for him to be able to back out of his parking spot. One of my employees here, our concierge, was going downtown and to get one block but for twenty minutes going through town. It was horrendous. But on the plus side, better to have a lot of people and have a little inconvenience than not to have any people and have free-flowing traffic. And we as the town has had a process of paving a lot of the back streets, so there are now alternative areas, alternative ways to get downtown and to bypass some of the main bottlenecks that we have so that has been a help.”

ComPol Commends Police for Work at B.I.M.F.F.

Over the Weekend, thousands of Belizeans travelled to La Isla Bonita, San Pedro for the Belize International Music and Food Festival. There, many were able to enjoy a variety of food and music from several genres. There have been overwhelming reviews about the success of the event, but others have openly complained about poor service, a lack of drinks, and the heavy rains during the performances. Despite these complaints, Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, says that the event was a grand success and commends the efforts of the Belize Police Department for its contribution to the safety of the public.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I want to commend the police officers in San Pedro as well as A.C.P. Greenwich and Superintendent Gamboa for the stellar job done in San Pedro during the The Food and Music Festival People were able to go to the island and celebrate in peace. Thanks to the work of the police. I went out there yesterday and just to see the coordination between the police and B.T.B. and I was pleased with what I saw. I was pleased what I saw in terms of how they had the entire area properly cordoned off and so forth. Big respect to the police. And these are things that we don’t normally get commended for. We have police and number of huge events and those events goes through without any incidents that goes to show that as a department we plan and execute properly and we need to continue that.”

Two Ambergris Caye Residents Rescued At Sea After Jet Ski Capsized

An ordinary evening on Ambergris Caye turned into a harrowing ordeal when a man and a woman set off on a jet ski from Secret Beach. A large wave capsized the jet ski, leaving them stranded in open waters as night fell. The situation quickly worsened as strong currents separated them, forcing each to fend for themselves in the dark. The woman swam for hours, eventually finding a shallow area to stand. Meanwhile, the man drifted further into open waters. Fortunately, help arrived. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Two Ambergris Caye residents faced a great deal of misfortune on Wednesday evening out at sea when a large wave capsized their jet ski. Rolando Uh and Lenny Elias left Secret Beach on a jet ski at around four-thirty p.m. Dramatic video footage of the moment Uh was rescued by a joint patrol team, almost six hours after they left the shore, has surfaced on social media. Lieutenant Mark Choc and the joint patrol team deployed from the San Pedro Coast Guard Base after receiving a distress call.

L.T.J.G. Mark Choc, Operations Officer, Belize Coast Guard

“At around twenty-two hundred hours, or ten p.m. yesterday, Wednesday twenty-fourth of July. The Belize Coast Guard Operations Center received a report of a possible distress situation of Secret Beach in San Pedro. The information we received was that a male person Mr. Rolando Oh who is the manager of Secret Beach Water Park along with a female companion Ms. Len Elias departed from Secret Beach around four thirty and they headed northwest from the area.”

The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation at around ten p.m. That is five hours after the individuals left Secret Beach on the jet ski. And, according to Lieutenant Choc, that was when they received the distress call.

LTJG Mark Choc

“Moments after the search was launched it was reported that around ten-twenty p.m. it was reported that the female, Ms. Len Elias was located.”

A group of San Pedro residents had launched their own search and rescue efforts. They rescued Elias near Prince Island, four nautical miles north of Secret Beach. She found shallow waters where she waited for help.

LTJG Mark Choc

“Reports was that she was heard screaming by a search team and she was found wearing a life jacket. Apparently, she had been swimming for the past three hours until she reached to a shallow area where she was able to stand.”

Search efforts to locate Uh continued. He was not found until eleven-thirty, one hour later. The joint patrol team found him drifting in open waters about three nautical miles north of Secret Beach.

LTJG Mark Choc

“Mr. Uh was found in the water floating and drifting. So, he was quickly recovered from the water and transported to safe harbor where he received medical evaluation. Based on the medical evaluation, both individuals were found to be in good health. The effects of the elements did not have an effect on them. This was due to the quick and effective response of the search and rescue team.”

According to the locations where both individuals were rescued, they drifted far apart and spent a great deal of time alone, hoping to be rescued. Unlike Elias, Uh did not have a life jacket, which means that he had no aid to assist in keeping him afloat. There are no official details on the amount of time that elapsed between the jet ski capsized and when both individuals were rescued.

LTJG Mark Choc

“Based on the information we received it was reported that both individuals were on the jet ski. However, there was a large wave that knocked them off the jet ski, causing them to lose control of the jet ski.”

Paul Lopez

How lucky are they today to be alive today, having been in the water for so long?

LTJG Mark Choc

“I will be very honest, survival in the water is difficult to achieve. After several hours in water, they could have been severely dehydrated and reach to a point of severe hyperthermia and leads to death. Again, we are thankful for the quick response of the search team. They were able to be located quickly and any prolonged search efforts after that would have more than likely led to something severe and even loss of life. Our main priority during search and rescue missions is to quickly locate the individual. It is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It is a very difficult task but collaborating with different agencies makes our effort a lot more easier like we did last night with the police.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Probe Continues into Alleged Police Brutality in San Pedro

Earlier this week, we heard from the Commissioner of Police on a viral video showing a police officer pistol whipping an individual in San Pedro Town. Today, when we caught up with ComPol Williams at an event in San Ignacio, he provided further details on the incident. As ComPol Williams told us on Wednesday, two minors approached Sergeant Makin and informed him that they were being chased by masked individuals who were armed. He explained that officer Makin pursued the individuals and that is when the encounter unfolded that was captured on camera. Today, ComPol Williams told reporters that he has read the statements provided to police by the two minors, a thirteen and fifteen-year-old. He has since instructed investigators to seek clarity on certain details that the minors provided. Here is what the commissioner had to say.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“As I said before the matter is still being investigated by P.S.B. I managed to get a read of the statements yesterday that were given by the two minors who had stopped mister Makin and reported to him that they were being chased by these individuals. The statements do need further clarification and I have instructed the investigators to go back to these persons and ask more questions so that we can get more clarity on these statements. One of the things that came out is that based on what the minors were saying is that they had passed the place initially with a female and while they were passing one of the persons hanging out may have been cat calling the female and she did not reply to them. So after they dropped her off and went back to go to their respective homes they had to pass the same location again and this is when they were pursued by the people who were masked. The issue is that, again from what I have read, is that after the incident occurred, the young men, the two young men, did not go to the police station right away. They went until the following evening. Now after the incident occurred with Sergeant Makin the young man went to the station and made a report. But at that particular time the police had not received the report from the two minors. So they did not detain him. They issued him the medico form and he went to the doctor. By the time he finished with the medico form the minors and their parents came in and gave their statements. There are some issues to the statement I have. One of the issue is that the minors would not be able to identify who those persons were that chased them, for the simple fact that they were wearing mask. But if we can have some clarity in terms of the type of clothing that the two chasers were wearing and if we can compare with the type of clothing the young man had that had an encounter with Mr. Makin then we can say that is the same person. But it is important to note that the same group that young man was in is the same group responsible for the chasing. Whether or not he was doing the chasing I cannot say at this time until we can have some clarity on the matter.”

Victim of Alleged Police Brutality Hires Attorney

Ryan Mendez has reportedly sought the services of an attorney. He intends to take court action against the department. But according to the Commissioner of Police, Mendez remains a fugitive. He says if the attorney wants to help his client, then that attorney should take him to the police station for questioning.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“It cannot be that you request court action. The police has to look at the investigation in its totality to see whether or not there is anything there that he can be charged for as well as to see if the police committed a breach that he can be charged for. So, we have to look at everything in its totality. When the investigation is done then we can look at it. The attorney for the young man, if he so wish what he can do is bring the young man into the police station, let the police complete the investigation and that would help us to arrive at a definitive conclusion on that matter.”

“Continue to Film Instances Where Officers Are Acting with Force”

Reporters also asked Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa about the viral video involving Sergeant Makin. He says that he was disturbed when he first saw the video. He later found out that the encounter stemmed from a report made by two minors. Minister Musa says he is now leaving it in the hands of the Professional Standard Branch. He is also encouraging citizens to continue recording police officers in events where it is believed that they are acting with excessive force.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“When I saw the video for the first time, like the rest of Belize I was really disturbed because if it is one thing that our administration has been extremely adamant about it us that officers must be accountable for their behavior and they must not use excessive force in detaining individuals. So traditionally as you might know my instant reaction is that this requires immediate action from P.S.B. in terms of an investigation. So even without the complainant going in to say that he, well the suspect in this case, to say that he was the victim of excessive force, I requested of the Commissioner that he get professional standards branch to do an investigation into it. So that is currently taking place. Now let me say this point blank that if it was a random, arbitrary act by this officer, say for instance the had a personal issue with this individual and he would go and act out like this because of a personal issue, nothing to do with a chase or anything like that, I personally do not care if he is mother Theresa’s grandson, it is my expectation that P.S.B. would take immediate action, do an investigation and let the chips fall where they may. Now since then we gave learnt that two minors have gone into the San Pedro Police station to give statements, one is thirteen and one is fifteen. These minors, it is not my belief that they are making this scenario up. They were being chased by a number of individuals. It is believed that the suspect in this case was one of them, the young men altered Mr. Makin who was on his way home, I am told, to this incident and that is what prompted him to respond. Obviously, we only got a short clip, I don’t know if the video was spliced, but I want to encourage members of the public, continue to film instances where officers may be using force. But also try to give us the full picture because I don’t believe that is where the video started.”

ComPol Williams Says Sgt. Devon Makin Acted to Secure His Safety

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has finally broken his silence on the viral video that surfaced over the weekend of a police officer pistol whipping an individual in San Pedro. That officer has been identified as Sergeant Devon Makin. Well, ComPol Williams says the video was spliced to paint Makin in a negative light. He explained that Makin was off duty when a pair of minors approached him and informed him that they were being chased by three armed men in masks. ComPol Williams says, Sergeant Makin pursued the men, one of whom was seen being apprehended in the video. But was the individual armed and does the Commissioner of Police consider Sergeant Makin’s response to be an excessive use of force? Here is how he explained the entirety of the incident,

including all that he says was not captured on camera.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“First and foremost let me say that many a times when we have these video footage that are sent to the media or posted on different social media platform, the persons who recorded these video footages often times just release what they want the public to see and would splice the video for their own convenience. I think before we jump to our own conclusion it is essential that we ascertain what actually transpired. In this particular instance the sergeant had reported off duty and was on his way home. On his way he was stopped by two minors who were extremely frantic and in fear who complained to him that the same young man you all saw in the video with him and about two other persons were chasing them with mask and firearm. The sergeant being the type of person he is, he didn’t leave them in cold. He returned and went to see if he could apprehend these individuals. He met the one seen with him in the video and obviously the information is that he may be armed, the police may need to take out his weapon to secure his safety as well as the safety of others. In so doing, what you normally do when you have a suspect that is armed you would put him to kneel down or on the ground on his belly until you ascertain he is safe. The sergeant attempted to do that but while he was trying to put the person in either of those positions the young man was resisting. He only have two hands so he was holding him with one hand, and he had the gun in the other hand. So he tried to hit him with the other hand and that is the hand that had the gun. I am not going to condone the issue of the pistol whipping cause the truth is the weapon could have gone off and the outcome could have been different. But we have to look at the issue in its totality. It is not like the sergeant just went and pick on someone for no reason and just beat him up. There was a complaint made by two minors and though he was off duty he responded to the call of the two minors to apprehend the individual. Those people who did the video recording knows what happened, but they went and splice the video. Now the two minors and their parents had gone to the San Pedro Police Station and lodged his complaint. The young man now, as much as the public is crying out for him, he escaped because when the officer went after to try and apprehend the others he escaped. And from then to now he has not resurfaced. He has gone to hiding. So if it is that you know you are so innocent, you have done nothing wrong and the police have abused you then why don’t you come forward and make your complaint. But he has not done that. So that just goes to show that he knows exactly what he did and he intends to continue hiding from the law.”

Is the Opposition Leader Trying to Score Political Points off Police?

ComPol Willliams also responded to criticisms that the Leader of the Opposition made against him on Tuesday. Moses “Shyne” Barrow expressed his disappointment in the fact that days had passed without the commissioner or any of the department’s top brass addressing the viral police video. Barrow chastised the Commissioner of Police for not acting swiftly in this matter. Well, today ComPol William had a response for Barrow. Here is what he had to say.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I listened to the interview by the leader of the opposition yesterday and what he failed to say to you is that he sits, waits for something he believes is like a scrumptious meal and the alacrity with which he pounces on it to gain political mileage is alarming. Here comes the media feeding him with that scrumptious meal and he gets that energy, that power to say things. But he failed to say to you that when the U.D.P. was in power and he needed security, bodyguard, it was the same Devon Making that use to body guard him. And, up to now even though he promised to pay the sergeant for the work he did the sergeant has not been paid. He promised that when he came into power, he would do this and that. Come on Shyne Barrow, he have to be real.”

Is Sgt. Makin’s Familial Ties Affecting the ComPol’s Judgment?

It is no secret that Sergeant Devon Makin is Commissioner of Police Chester Williams’ godson. So, is his familial ties with the officer influencing his response to the police abuse claims? As you have heard the commissioner say, he does not condone Sergeant Makin’s decision to pistol whip the individual. He further revealed that the Professional Standards Branch is carrying out an investigation into the incident. But is his relation to Makin affecting his better judgment? Here is how he responded to that question.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“When he had the issue with Inspector Martinez, he is my first cousin and what happened? My first cousin is more to me than a godson. If I was able to move quickly on inspector Martinez who is my first cousin then why would I not be able to do so with Mr. Makin if it were that we were not looking at the think wholistically. I am not going to be the one to jump on something because Shyne Barrow wants me to do it. Professional Standards Branch is in the picture. They are investigating. Once an investigation is done then we go from there.

Imagine if those two children were your children and they were being chased by and individual with gun and mask, would you reaction be the same? The question to you, would your reaction be the same? I am sure not.”

Paul Lopez

“We know that any disciplinary charges you have to approve, will you approve such being brought against your godson?”

Chester Williams

“I brought a scenario to you earlier where I said Inspector Martinez is my first cousin and despite that he was charged. So please don’t try to come and make things seems that because of certain people they are privileged. I don’t work that way. There are many people who are relatives of mine who does wrong and I made sure they are dealt within accordance with the law. So please don’t try to paint a different picture.”

Reporter

“Is the public allowed to capture police in the conduct of their duties?”

Chester Williams

“Yes they are, so long as they have sufficient distance that is not obstructing the police from carrying out their duties they can do so.”

Late this evening Opposition Leader Shyne Barrow responded to the ComPol’s remarks, he says quote, “It is a typical deflection tactic from the very serious issue of police brutality. Officer Makin is wrong and needs to be disinclined like every other police officer that has been captured using excessive force. What makes Officer Makin so special, that he can be captured on video pistol whipping an unarmed suspect and not face reprimand?”, end quote.