Minister Musa Tours City Stations, Hears Officers’ Concerns Firsthand

Today marked the start of a focused tour across Eastern Division police stations, led by Minister Kareem Musa. It’s part of a broader effort to connect directly with officers, not just the top brass, but those on the front lines. Last week, the team visited rural communities and island stations like Caye Caulker and San Pedro. But today, the spotlight was on Dean Street and Raccoon Street Police Stations in Belize City. Minister Musa says he wants to hear firsthand what officers are facing, professionally and personally, and figure out how to better allocate resources in the upcoming budget. And the need is clear. On Raccoon Street, for example, officers are still working under a roof that’s been leaking since the 1990s, just a year after the building was constructed. It now houses around three hundred staff members, and finding a long-term fix is high on the priority list.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“This part of the tour, commencing today, is specifically for the Eastern Division. Last week, we were able to visit the rural communities, including the island stations, Caye Caulker and San Pedro. This morning, thus far, we have visited the police station on Dean Street, and then of course here at Raccoon Street Police Station. The importance of this tour is to have a very intimate one-on-one with our police officers, not just with the high command of each formation, but to hear from each of our officers what their concerns are professionally, as well as personally and to see how best we can prioritize our resources moving forward for this budget year. Right now, as you could imagine, we are sitting inside one of the buildings that has been a huge concern for the department, not just this year, noy just the last five years, but since the 1990s. This roof has been leaking since the 19902, the year after it was built, and so, it has been a recurring issue. We have done a lot of patchwork, and I am talking [about] the previous administrations, not our administration, and we are trying to see what is the best possible solution because this building currently holds approximately three hundred staff members.”