By Belize Live News Staff: The fallout from a deadly week of violence has reached the top of the Police Department, with Opposition Leader Tracy Panton calling for Commissioner Dr. Richard Rosado to resign.
Panton made the demand in a Saturday night post, a day after four men were murdered on the Coastal Highway and the same day Rosado joined Minister Michel Chebat at a mediation session with gang members in Belize City.
The Opposition Leader argued that restoring confidence in the police requires accountability for what she described as corruption and abuse of authority within the force.
She also criticized the meeting at the House of Culture as a reversal for a party that, while in Opposition, had condemned the same approach. Reports of shootings in Belize City continued even as the session took place, she noted.
Panton said she does not reject dialogue outright, but believes it must go hand in hand with effective policing and real investigations. She called the protection of young people and every Belizean life an urgent national priority.
She also linked the crime crisis to the pressure on household budgets, citing the Statistical Institute of Belize’s latest figures showing consumer prices in September were up 4.7% compared to a year earlier.
Since Panton’s statement, a state of emergency has been declared for Southside Belize City and parts of the Belize and Cayo Districts.
