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Update on serious problems encountered by Zyra in Belize

This page is supplemental to the initial report of a violent crime in Belize and the report of police corruption in Belize. This page tells the story of how the situation was dealt with, either well or badly.

So, I left town and set up in a secure new home in Belize City. The next thing is to put in a proper enquiry to get the matter looked into and solved. I believe that most of the police are honest, and that there will be a proper explanation for what happened, and my complaint will be dealt with correctly as it should be. We will see what happens.

Updates 2007/06: Having written to the Commissioner of Police, the Ombudsman, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and several other Top Brass, there was still no positive outcome or any confirmation that any action was being taken. I even wrote to the Prime Minister! I met the Ombudsman, who was very helpful and got in touch with people he knew well in the police, but no results had come in by the time I left Belize.

Other people have cited many other cases of neglect, abuse of power, corruption, and theft. Well that's too bad. I was hoping for better from the place! see notes at the end of the page of police problems in Belize

Now the conclusion:

I believe that the Ombudsman is honest, and I'd like to think the top police chiefs are honest and try to do what's right. However, it is corruption and dishonesty at a local level which is the problem, and it's difficult for them to solve this. It may even be that the extent of corruption in Belize is so bad that they can't solve it even if they try. This notion is backed up by what happened after I left Belize. I wrote to the chief of police in San Ignacio and pointed out that he could actually solve the case of what happened on that day when some of his officers locked up an innocent person and performed a no warrant search of a house and stole a few things. The fact is that on that shift on that day, only a few officers were on duty and there were a limited number of police vehicles in use, and this narrows down very considerably who could have done this. Furthermore, police notebooks record who was where and when. Putting this together, a bit of elementary detective work reveals exactly who was searching the house in Santa Elena and therefore who stole the DV3500 digital movie camera , CF memory, the two dollar note and a few coins. If pursued and proved, this inevitably leads to police officers being brought to justice for crimes committed by means of abuse of police powers. The result would probably be jail for those involved, and that's especially unlucky as cops in jail tend to be less well liked by their fellow inmates than those of other professions. This could explain why, after writing a detailed letter, there was no response.

So now we speculate:

Could it be that the Police Chief in San Ignacio can not be seen to bring his own officers to book for crimes committed? It would surely be embarrassing, at least. Or, could it be that they are all mates and the friendship exceeds the duty to do what's right? If so, this would indicate a level of endemic corruption in Belize at almost all levels. Do you realise how bad that is for foreign investment? It would leave the country with an international public relations disaster. That's a shame, because, apart from the prejudice and corruption, Belize is a nice country, and it's sad to see it ruined by the despicable behaviour of those who should know better, especially when they are employed in the police force, and as such are trusted to be honest.

Conclusions:

I'll not be migrating to Belize! I'll move my business to a different tax haven, somewhere where the police can be trusted, and where a more modern cosmopolitan attitude is taken to diversity.

Although I still believe that Belize is a reasonably safe place to visit as a tourist, I'd advise against moving there. Unless you have millions to spare and can buy yourself friends in high places so you can have people sacked if they wrong you, it's just not safe.

You are never safe living alone in Belize, as the police can detain you for no reason and help themselves to your property while they have you locked up.

In addition to the direct dishonesty there is also a very bad attitude among some pipsqueak officials. I have heard this from other people too; police will inconvenience you merely to amuse themselves at your expense. I have seen various cases of this and suffered some of it myself. It's easy to spot when they are doing it, as incompetence alone does not explain their behaviour.

Since the events which happened to me, my well-publicised Internet presence has informed a lot of people about the problems of Belize, and I have heard of various cases where people are leaving Belize and moving to places that are much better! As with the UK, many people who can afford to leave, are leaving.

A couple of minor points:

For insurance purposes it is essential to get a crime report to put in a claim. This should be an easy matter of the police making a photocopy of the crime report gratis. But no, you have to make an official application and submit a form and pay eight dollars and leave a stamped addressed envelope. However, even doing this does not necessarily get you a crime report. In my own case, they just didn't bother to send it. They probably just kept the money and the stamps and made yet another cynical attempt to cause inconvenience. However, I had predicted this might happen and I had already got a photocopy of the application, which Insure and Go were happy to accept in view of the shocking circumstances. See Insure & Go Customer Testimonial 4

After the San Ignacio / Santa Elena problem I moved to Belize City and rented an apartment in a secure apartment/office block, but when I left Belize City, my landlord kept my deposit despite promises to return it. The place had been inspected by a member of staff, so later retrospective spurious allegations of a broken pot are really absurd. This, in my opinion, is further evidence of the disreputableness of goings-on generally in Belize, and it is as if dishonesty is all-pervading there, in the way people imagine that it is in Nigeria because of the prevalence of advance fee fraud in email messages.

Knock-on consequences of police corruption:

If the police are corrupt, crime prospers. Criminals know they can get away with committing crimes on an ongoing basis. Honest people may be reluctant to report crimes as they fear police reprisals against them. Also, it may be that criminals are using stolen money to bribe the police into turning a blind eye to their activities.

Failure to think through the consequences and knock-on effects is a classic Belize mistake, and although this may have a certain charm in some circumstances, it can ultimately lead to disastrous results.

The Future of Belize:

It would be nice to think that eventually Belize will clean up the corruption and establish a reliable environment for investment, where people can live safely and free of police persecution. As a secondary thing, it would be good if the crime rate was reduced. However, what's more important is to eliminate dishonesty in the police. I believe that as time goes on, the omnipresence of the Internet may make people aware in Belize that there exists a wider world where culture continues to advance. If oldfashioned deep-seated prejudice is reduced, the country can move forward and concentrate on its many advantages. Potentially, Belize could have a great future, as a tourist destination and as a proper tax haven. But that requires thinking ahead instead of having short-termist thinking.

Homophobia in the media is entirely unacceptable in the modern world, and there isn't going to be much headway until that is eliminated by popular opinion. Belize in 2007 had one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the Caribbean, 2.4%, which is a consequence of prejudice and ignorance. This could be considerably reduced by acceptance of diversity as in the more modern countries. If you don't know what I mean, see UniBAM. Bigotry and prejudice within the police force is a serious issue which affects everyone, as explained in the "witchcraft" item on the LGBT page.

The future of Belize is not in oil in the ground, which will eventually run out, leaving the new US Embassy up for sale like the old US Embassy. There's a lot more oil in Belize growing on trees, as coconut oil, and that will never run out.

Belize can have a prosperous future by encouraging foreign investment. As well as improving the local economy, the presence of tax exiles is also good politically, as it put the place on the map. This is important in the long term as the country needs allies internationally, partly to prevent Guatemala from invading.

I wish Belize well, but I won't be there to help, as I am moving my investment elsewhere.