Belize’s Commissioner of Police, Dr. Richard Rosado, has provided clarification regarding the recent exclusion of independent media from the police department’s annual CompStat meeting in Belmopan. The gathering, which typically attracts significant public interest for its crime data assessment and explanation, notably proceeded without media presence for the first time in recent memory.
In an exclusive interview, Commissioner Rosado challenged media characterizations of the exclusion as unprecedented, asserting that journalists had never been formally invited to attend the actual CompStat proceedings in previous years. “The media has never been invited for the CompStat meeting,” Rosado stated. “They are invited after the meeting to ask questions, but they have never been invited to the CompStat meeting itself.”
The police commissioner characterized this year’s approach as an experimental shift in protocol, explaining that the decision regarding media access was delegated to the Government Press Office. When pressed on whether limiting media access potentially undermined institutional transparency, Rosado maintained that the exclusion was not intended as a permanent policy change.
“This year we wanted to try something new,” Rosado explained, adding that he has “no objections or reservations” about reinstating the previous practice of allowing media questioning following future CompStat meetings. When directly questioned about media access for next year’s meeting, the commissioner responded simply: “No objections.”
The development has sparked discussion about government transparency and the public’s right to information regarding crime statistics and law enforcement methodologies in Belize.