In Belize City on April 22, 2026, Opposition Leader Patrick Faber launched a scathing attack on the ruling Briceño administration amid a fresh wave of high-profile violent incidents that have dominated local headlines. Speaking at a press briefing hosted by his United Democratic Party (UDP), Faber accused the current government of allowing a national public safety crisis to spiral unchecked, citing a string of recent homicides, unexplained disappearances and kidnappings as evidence of the administration’s failure to maintain control over crime rates.
Faber pointed to the most recent killing to underscore his critique: the discovery of a young man identified as Cambranes dead along Boom Road earlier the same morning. He went on to note that over the preceding 10 days, the country has been shaken by a pattern of disturbing violence, including missing persons, bodies recovered from remote swamplands, and multiple abduction cases.
To draw a contrast with the previous UDP government led by former Prime Minister Dean Barrow, Faber recalled that even small clusters of two to three murders over a single weekend would trigger immediate public outcry and swift, coordinated action from the former administration. Under Barrow’s leadership, he claimed, top law enforcement officials from the national police and coast guard would have been summoned immediately for an emergency summit on Queen Street to develop urgent, targeted interventions to curb violence. Today, he argued, no such response is forthcoming.
Faber did not limit his criticism to the government, also calling out the current Minister of Police as an ineffective leader, saying “I can’t even tell you who is the minister right now, he is a waste of time.” He further argued that the Belizean public has become complacent in the face of weak governance, claiming that citizens have softened their stance toward the ruling People’s United Party (PUP) even as the security situation deteriorates. He alleged that even seemingly positive policy moves from the PUP ultimately hide self-serving political or economic motives for the party. “every single thing that the PUP does, even if appears to be good, there is a hustle,” Faber said.
Looking ahead, Faber confirmed that if the UDP returns to power, the party would make substantial new investments in national and citizen security a top legislative and budgetary priority to reverse the current trend of rising violence.