Unfair Police Promotions? Compol Says “Stop Listen to Stupidity”

There has been a string of recent promotions within the Belize Police Department, with sources alleging that several officers were elevated in rank despite bypassing standard procedures.

Information received by News Five alleges that the list of contested promotions includes the son of a high-ranking officer, who reportedly resigned from the force, later returned to the job, and was subsequently promoted to corporal.

Sources also point to another officer said to have been promoted to sergeant without sitting the promotional exam or undergoing an interview. According to those sources, the officer was already promoted in 2022 and should not have been eligible for further advancement under the same process. The officer’s name has also surfaced in connection with the Joseph Budna kidnapping case, though no formal charges were made against him.

Asked directly whether he could comment on the number of promotions allegedly approved for officers who did not sit the promotional exam, Police Commissioner Dr Richard Rosado told reporters, “Sometimes you have to stop listen to stupidity.”

He went on to outline the process governing promotions, saying it is regulated under the Police Act and involves applications, vetting, shortlisting, written exams, and final selection by a promotional board.

Among the list of officers is Wilbert Cob, who was recently promoted to sergeant despite having been caught on camera assaulting a woman in Benque Viejo.

Pressed specifically about Corporal Cob’s promotion, Rosado said the department followed protocol. “In this case, as I was briefed, the victim asked us to respect her decision, that she would seek family counselling instead of pursuing prosecution. Hence, there was no legal impediment preventing Cob from being promoted,” he said.

The promotion comes despite the Commissioner’s previously stated position of zero tolerance for domestic violence among officers.