Carib Scope

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  • Food Security in Nevis Strengthened with Donation of Water Tank, Shade House and Storage Facility

    Food Security in Nevis Strengthened with Donation of Water Tank, Shade House and Storage Facility

    CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS – March 31, 2026 – Nevis’ ongoing efforts to strengthen domestic food security and build climate-resilient agriculture have received a transformative boost, following the official handover of three key pieces of agricultural infrastructure to local farming stakeholders. The donation package, which includes a 30,000-gallon water storage tank for the New River Farmers Cooperative, a 100-by-80-foot shade house, and a dry produce storage facility at the island’s Prospect Agricultural Station, forms part of a regional sustainability initiative led by three major global environmental bodies: the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

    The core mission of this cross-partner project is to strengthen environmental governance across St. Kitts and Nevis through widespread adoption of sustainable land management practices that align conservation, food production, and climate adaptation. At the handover ceremony hosted at the New River site, Merla Isles, President of the New River Farmers Association, emphasized that reliable water access has long been a critical unmet need for local producers grappling with a shifting climate.

    “With climate change making rainfall patterns increasingly unpredictable, it has never been more important to capture and store available water to sustain farming operations across our community,” Isles said. “This new tank will directly help us boost crop production and secure sustainable livelihoods for hundreds of farming households. We are deeply grateful for this investment, and we are committed to working alongside Nevis’ Ministry of Agriculture to properly maintain this infrastructure so it can serve our community for generations to come.”

    Beyond the water storage infrastructure that directly supports day-to-day farming, the two additional facilities at the Prospect Agricultural Station advance the project’s broader goals of integrating biodiversity conservation, sustainable land management, and climate-smart agriculture into the federation’s core development planning. The large shade house, constructed adjacent to the Larinson Parris Agricultural Depot, will serve as a dedicated propagation space for native fruit tree saplings. These saplings will later be used to restore forest cover in regions of Nevis that have been degraded by years of soil erosion, hurricane damage, and widespread pest and disease outbreaks.

    Steve Reid, Project Coordinator with Nevis’ Ministry of Agriculture, outlined the long-term ecological and agricultural benefits of the shade house facility, noting that targeted reforestation will in turn support more stable soil and water retention for surrounding farmland.

    Honourable Eric Evelyn, Nevis’ Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture, welcomed the timely intervention, highlighting how the new infrastructure addresses pressing gaps in the island’s agricultural capacity. In particular, the new dry storage facility will solve a longstanding challenge for local producers, who have previously lacked adequate space to preserve and store harvested crops before they reach local markets.

    “These three new assets are part of the critical work being delivered through this partnership with GEF, UNEP and IUCN, and we are eternally grateful for their continued investment in our agricultural sector,” Evelyn said. “Thanks to this collaboration, we now have the infrastructure we need to store water for farming, propagate trees for landscape restoration, and properly store the fresh produce grown right here on Nevis. This is a game-changing step forward for our food security goals.”

    The infrastructure was formally handed over to Nevis’ government and local farming groups by a team of key initiative leaders, including IUCN Technical Officer Melvin James, IUCN Project Coordinator Nikita Brown, and GEF Programme Officer and Task Manager Dr. Christopher Cox, all of whom oversaw the design and implementation of the project on Nevis.

  • Bouva: Energie moet motor zijn voor brede economische groei Suriname

    Bouva: Energie moet motor zijn voor brede economische groei Suriname

    Opening the 2026 Caribbean Energy Week on Tuesday in Paramaribo’s iconic Royal Torarica venue, Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation Melvin Bouva laid out the South American nation’s ambitious strategy: leverage its rapidly expanding oil and gas industry as a springboard for sweeping national economic transformation and deeper global partnership.

    The three-day industry conference brings together heads of government, institutional investors, and C-suite energy executives from across the globe, with a shared goal of cementing the Caribbean region’s status as one of the world’s fastest-growing emerging energy hubs. In his opening keynote address, Bouva framed Suriname’s current moment as a historic turning point. Recent large-scale offshore oil and gas discoveries have already catapulted the small nation onto the global energy map, drawing unprecedented attention from international energy firms and capital markets.

    But Bouva issued a clear caution: rich natural resource endowments alone do not guarantee long-term shared prosperity. Instead, he argued, the oil and gas sector must act as a catalyst to drive diversification across Suriname’s broader economy, rather than serving as an end goal in itself. His vision positions the emerging energy industry as the foundational base to nurture local entrepreneurship, upskill national workforces, and incubate entirely new domestic industries across other sectors.

    “The success of our energy sector will not be measured solely in barrels of oil produced or cubic feet of gas extracted,” Bouva emphasized. “Its true success will be counted in the new local businesses it spawns, the marketable skills it builds for our people, and the lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships it forges with the global community.”

    International partnerships stand as a core pillar of Suriname’s new economic strategy, according to the minister. In today’s interconnected global economy, he noted, modern diplomacy is no longer limited to political engagement; it is increasingly focused on advancing economic cooperation that delivers mutual benefits. That means connecting untapped regional opportunities to global investment capital, pairing innovative development ideas with financial resources, and aligning Suriname’s national development ambitions with the expertise and scale of international partners.

    A key priority of this approach is ensuring natural resource development delivers sustainable, long-term value creation that benefits all Surinamese people, Bouva said. The government is committed to creating space for robust local participation in the energy sector, supporting the growth of domestic Surinamese businesses to compete and thrive alongside large international investors.

    To back this strategy, Bouva outlined a series of targeted policy reforms the Surinamese government has already implemented to strengthen the country’s investment climate. These reforms include the enactment of a modern, investor-friendly national investment law, enhanced regulatory capacity for the Suriname Investment and Trade Agency (SITA), and the development of a balanced local content policy designed to maximize the economic spillover benefits of energy development for domestic stakeholders. Through these changes, Bouva said, Suriname is working to establish itself as a transparent, reliable, and open partner for global trade and investment.

    In closing, Bouva reiterated that while energy development can serve as a powerful engine for Suriname’s economy, sustained and shared progress ultimately depends on investment in people, collaborative governance, and a clear long-term vision. He called on all attendees and stakeholders to seize the current momentum of the region’s energy boom, and work collectively to build a sustainable, inclusive future for Suriname and the entire Caribbean.

  • BESCO disputes union claim for Portvale factory

    BESCO disputes union claim for Portvale factory

    A bitter industrial dispute at Barbados’ only operational sugar manufacturing facility has deepened, with operator Barbados Energy and Sugar Company Inc. (BESCO) publicly rejecting the Unity Workers’ Union’s (UWU) core demand that the Portvale Sugar Factory be legally classified as a retail shop. In a paid public notice released Tuesday, the cooperative slammed the UWU’s classification argument as legally baseless, warning that forcing the change would saddle the already fragile sugar operation with untenable financial costs.

    The UWU, headed by organizer Caswell Franklyn, has pushed for Portvale to be brought under the nation’s labor legislation governing retail stores and shops, a change that would alter how overtime and working hours are calculated for factory staff. But BESCO pushed back against this framing, noting that independent industrial relations experts who reviewed the applicable law have concluded the union’s interpretation is incorrect. The company emphasized that Portvale is fundamentally an industrial manufacturing facility, not a retail outlet, and its current shift scheduling already adheres to all relevant health, safety, and industrial workplace regulations.

    This public clash comes amid months of simmering tensions between BESCO management and the UWU, centered on two core points: union recognition and working condition standards. The dispute has already spilled over into industrial action, with a multi-day work stoppage earlier this month grinding sugarcane harvesting to a halt across the entire island, disrupting operations for Barbados’ last working sugar mill.

    The root of the recognition conflict lies in competing claims: the UWU asserts it represents a majority of Portvale’s workforce, with more than 50 workers registered to the union, but BESCO disputes this count, putting the UWU’s membership at just 38. The operator already recognizes the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) as the official bargaining agent for employees, a status the UWU is actively challenging.

    Beyond recognition, the UWU has raised alarms about the facility’s current shift system and working hour structure, arguing the arrangements violate national labor standards. BESCO has pushed back against these claims, noting that the current shift framework was agreed upon in existing employment contracts, and includes structured premium compensation for non-standard working hours. Under the current system, workers earn a 15% shift premium added to their base hourly rate for shifts within a standard 40-hour work week, rising to 25% extra for weekend work that falls within an additional 16 hours of scheduled labor. Any time worked beyond a 56-hour weekly total is compensated at 1.5 times the regular base rate, the company confirmed.

    BESCO also provided context for the current employment structure, noting that many current Portvale workers were rehired after the sugar industry underwent restructuring and privatization, which included substantial severance packages for workers exiting the sector at that time. The new employment terms, including the shift and pay system, were put in place when these workers were brought back on staff, the company added.

    On the financial impact of the UWU’s demands, BESCO warned that reclassifying the factory as a retail shop to meet the union’s overtime restructuring demands would create unsustainable cost pressures that threaten the facility’s long-term viability. The company called the UWU’s overall demands “excessive, and financially unsustainable” for the business.

    Despite the ongoing standoff and public disagreement, BESCO struck a conciliatory final note, affirming that it remains committed to good-faith negotiations. The company stated it is still “ready to meet in good faith with the duly recognised bargaining agent and all relevant parties” to resolve the conflict. In a closing appeal, BESCO called on all stakeholders to center discussions on solutions that “protect workers’ livelihoods and the long-term future of sugar manufacturing in Barbados.”

  • St Mary’s College team reflect on 4th place debut at OECS robotics

    St Mary’s College team reflect on 4th place debut at OECS robotics

    The inaugural Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) robotics competition, hosted in St. Kitts on March 21, brought together young engineering talent from across the region to tackle pressing real-world environmental challenges, with a central focus on innovative solutions for waste management. Among the competing teams, St. Mary’s College (SMC) from St. Lucia delivered an impressive performance, claiming fourth place and earning widespread pride from the institution’s entire student body and staff.

    Leading the SMC team was Kyle Gajadhar, a dual major in science and business, who walked through the team’s design philosophy for their custom-built robot, dubbed “Helenite Prime”. Built specifically to align with the competition’s waste disposal theme, Helenite Prime was engineered to automatically collect and sort waste-like materials with notable speed and accuracy. Gajadhar explained that the robot’s design prioritized both flexible functionality and precise mechanical control: capable of identifying and picking up marked ball-shaped test objects, the machine then placed each item into corresponding pre-labeled containers to complete the sorting workflow.

    Though the team encountered unexpected technical setbacks over the course of the competition, members left the event satisfied with their work and focused on the knowledge they gained throughout the months of preparation and on-site competition. Gajadhar’s teammate Matthew George and faculty advisor Jahim Malcolm, SMC’s information technology instructor, echoed this positive outlook, emphasizing that the event delivered far more value than just a final ranking.

    For Malcolm, the greatest strength of the regional robotics competition lies in the unique cross-island collaboration and learning opportunities it provides. “We got to see different design approaches from teams across the region, and interact with our peers from other OECS member islands,” he noted. Beyond technical skills, the event allowed students to build new cross-regional friendships, pick up innovative engineering techniques, and gain hands-on experience that cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom setting. Gajadhar echoed this assessment, describing the event as a one-of-a-kind large-scale competition that pushed him and his teammates to grow. From learning to assemble custom mechanical and electronic components to refining iterative problem-solving processes, the practical skills gained are already shaping the students’ academic and career trajectories, he said.

    On a personal level, Gajadhar shared that the most rewarding part of the experience was seeing months of collaborative work turn into a fully functional robot. While he hopes to claim the top prize in future events, he emphasized that the sense of personal and team accomplishment was the real highlight of the journey. Already, the SMC team is planning for next year’s competition: Gajadhar made it clear that the team has set its sights on the first-place trophy, joking that they have already cleared space on their display shelf for the win.

    Looking ahead, Gajadhar is exploring career paths that combine his two passions, animation and computer science, and credits the competition with helping him clarify his technical interests. For SMC as an institution, Malcolm confirmed that the college will continue building on this year’s success, with a long-term goal of growing the school’s robotics program into a transformative initiative for student innovation. “We’re trying to create something revolutionary. We’re trying to make a difference,” Malcolm said, noting that the program is open to support from community individuals and local organizations as it expands.

    In closing, both Gajadhar and Malcolm extended sincere gratitude to everyone who supported the team’s preparation and participation, including the second student representative Matthew George and all institutional and community backers who helped bring the Helenite Prime project to life.

  • Bus Association Demands Gas Subsidies or Two Dollar Fare Increase

    Bus Association Demands Gas Subsidies or Two Dollar Fare Increase

    As of March 31, 2026, Belize’s network of independent bus operators is on the brink of operational collapse, pushed by skyrocketing global fuel prices and steadily climbing overhead operating costs. The industry’s leading body, the Belize Bus Association (BBA), has issued a formal ultimatum to national transport authorities, laying out three non-negotiable policy solutions it says are the only ways to keep service running for commuters across the country — or face imminent industry-wide collective action.

    In a formal letter addressed to Belize’s Transport Minister Dr. Louis Zabaneh, the BBA outlined three immediate relief measures that would stabilize the struggling sector: full exemption from Goods and Services Tax (GST) on fuel and import duties on bus parts and batteries, the reinstatement of COVID-era government fuel subsidies for independent operators, and approval for a regulated upward adjustment to passenger fares.

    BBA President Philip Jones laid out the group’s proposed fare changes in comments to reporters, noting that operators had previously negotiated for a $2 base fare for short routes and higher rates for long-distance trips. Under the current revised proposal, short route fares would rise from an existing $2 to $3, while long-haul fares to destinations like Belmopan would jump from $7-$8 to $9-$10.

    Independent operators warn that without policy intervention from the government, they have no remaining financial buffer to absorb ongoing fuel costs. Ferland Gilharry, a BBA executive committee member, framed the current situation as an existential crisis for small, independent operators — ranging from individual owner-operators to rural school bus providers that are not part of the country’s new public-private partnership (PPP) National Bus Company (NBC).

    “What we are facing right now is not a minor inconvenience — it is a full-blown crisis for every independent operator in the country,” Gilharry explained. “All we are asking for is a level playing field, nothing more.”

    A core point of contention for the BBA is what it calls unequal government support between the publicly backed PPP entity and independent operators, who the association says control the vast majority of Belize’s bus market. Jones noted that the NBC only holds roughly 17 to 18 percent of the national market share, with just 47 to 50 active buses in operation. By contrast, more than 600 independent buses serve communities across the country, covering remote rural village routes, intercity highway corridors, and local urban commutes that form the backbone of Belize’s public transit network. Despite carrying the majority of daily passengers, independent operators receive none of the taxpayer-funded backing that the NBC accesses through its PPP structure.

    The association emphasizes that its request is not for special handouts, but equal treatment as the government advances plans to modernize Belize’s public transit system. Independent operators say they agree with the goal of modernization, but argue that as providers that serve the taxpaying public, they deserve the same support opportunities extended to the national PPP operator.

    “We chose to remain independent, that is true, but we still serve the general public,” Gilharry pointed out. “The taxes that the government uses to fund the NBC’s benefits come from the same public that we carry every single day. It is disingenuous to give one group exclusive privileges and leave the majority that actually serves most commuters out to dry.”

    After submitting the formal letter to the minister yesterday, the BBA says it will give government authorities a short window to respond to its demands. Once the response period ends, Jones says the association’s leadership will convene with its full membership to decide on next steps, with collective industrial action now on the table if no agreement is reached. The organization’s warning comes as authorities have already reiterated that any unapproved fare increase by independent operators would be considered illegal under current transport regulations, leaving operators with little remaining legal option to offset rising costs if the government rejects their demands.

  • Former BEL Workers Demand Long‑Overdue Severance Pay

    Former BEL Workers Demand Long‑Overdue Severance Pay

    Decades of service powering households and businesses across Belize have ended in a high-stakes standoff over unpaid wages, as dozens of former Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) employees have gone public with demands for long-overdue severance pay that they say the state-linked utility has unlawfully withheld for years.

    Organized under the advocacy group Belize Energy Workers for Justice, the former workers say their years-long push for resolution hit a wall of persistent delays, prompting them to take their case to the public in late March 2026. At the core of the conflict is a fundamental disagreement over how severance pay and pension benefits should be structured, a question already settled by a landmark 2025 ruling from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

    Dorla Staine, a representative for the advocacy group, explained that the CCJ’s 2025 ruling explicitly prohibits the practice of conflating severance and pension obligations, a move BEL has relied on for years to avoid making separate severance payments. The court’s ruling clearly states that severance pay and pension benefits are distinct legal entitlements, both of which employers must honor separately unless pension plans explicitly structure employer contributions to count toward severance obligations. Staine accuses BEL of deliberately mixing the two benefits to cut costs, violating both the court’s ruling and Belize’s national Labor Act. “They mixed up the two things, just as the CCJ ruled they should not do,” Staine said, referencing a local Creole proverb to describe the company’s deliberate obfuscation of the rules.

    Fellow advocate Elizabeth Crawford outlined the sequence of delays that pushed the group to go public. The workers submitted their formal formal request for owed severance on February 23, 2026, and BEL acknowledged receipt within days. But instead of a clear response, the utility has repeatedly pushed back its deadline to issue a position, most recently delaying any formal comment until April 20 – more than a month and a half after the initial request. “They keep moving the goalpost,” Crawford said. “We don’t even know what BEL’s position is on the CCJ ruling, and that’s why we’re here today: we need public pressure to force them to respond.”

    For the former workers, who each spent decades building and maintaining BEL’s national electricity grid, the fight extends far beyond their own unpaid checks. Many argue that the outcome of this dispute will set a precedent for workers’ rights across Belize, determining whether employers can legally reclassify earned benefits to avoid mandatory compensation obligations.

    In an official statement released the same day the workers held their press conference, BEL pushed back against the allegations, saying it is already conducting a comprehensive case-by-case review of all severance claims dating back to separations from more than 25 years ago, with the review itself stretching back to 1988 employment practices. The utility maintained that it has consistently met – and often exceeded – legal severance requirements over the decades, noting that prior to 2011, it offered employees up to four weeks of pay per year of service, a rate above the legal requirement at the time.

    BEL also argues that it already complies with the 2025 CCJ ruling: the court clarified that workers are entitled to both full pension and separate severance only if pension benefits do not already account for severance obligations. According to BEL, its pension plan has explicitly structured employer contributions to cover severance entitlements since 2007, meaning the company has already met its legal obligations. The utility says it will issue formal responses to each claimant as individual reviews are completed.

    As both sides wait for the review to conclude, the former workers are banking on public awareness to push BEL to speed up the process and honor what they say are their legally earned benefits. What began as an internal labor dispute has now become a high-profile test of worker protections and corporate accountability in Belize’s energy sector.

  • Villagers Protest as Public Sea Access in Warrie Bight Comes Under Threat

    Villagers Protest as Public Sea Access in Warrie Bight Comes Under Threat

    On a normally tranquil stretch of northern Belize’s coastline surrounding Warrie Bight, a heated dispute over public land rights has erupted, as fed-up residents of the nearby coastal village of Sarteneja draw a line against what they call systematic “land grabbing” of critical public access routes to the sea.

    The conflict first began to take shape in September 2025, when the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD) sounded an official alarm to Belize’s Minister of Natural Resources Cordel Hyde, alerting authorities that public lands in the high-priority coastal zone were being quietly transferred to private ownership. At the core of the community’s grievance is the reallocation of designated road reserves—legally protected parcels explicitly mapped to guarantee the general public unimpeded access to Warrie Bight’s shoreline. According to the SACD, multiple tracts of land set aside for public use have already been erased from official public land registries through illegal or improper reclassification. Two high-profile examples have become the flashpoint of the movement: a planned public access road that has been reclassified and renamed as private parcel Lot 1955, and a second public right-of-way wedged between private Lots 85 and 86, both originally granted and zoned to serve the entire Sarteneja community.

    For local villagers, the fight extends far beyond bureaucratic land-use paperwork. Losing these public access routes means being cut off from the coastline that has shaped their traditional livelihoods—from small-scale fishing to cultural coastal activities—and feeds widespread fears that all public shoreline in the area will gradually fall into private hands, closing off a resource that has been shared by generations.

    That long-building frustration boiled over into direct action over the weekend of March 29-30, 2026, when dozens of Sarteneja residents traveled to Warrie Bight to stage a physical protest, vowing to defend the remaining public seafront they say legally belongs to the community.

    In an interview Monday with this outlet, Florencio Marin Jr., the area representative for Corozal Southeast—where Warrie Bight and Sarteneja are located—confirmed that the community’s anger has been building for months, and noted he has been raising the alert with national authorities long before the protest. “I have been on top of this issue. I have been communicating directly with Minister of Natural Resources Cordel Hyde, and we have been highlighting all these concerns to him for a long time,” Marin explained. “In one way, I think what occurred on Saturday was a culmination of people’s reaction to the ongoing inaction, and that gives voice to how serious this problem is. But we have been on top of it and we’ve been working very closely with the Minister of Natural Resources to ensure that what is public space remains public space.”

    This report is adapted from a transcribed broadcast of the outlet’s evening television news, transcribed for online publication as originally released on March 31, 2026.

  • Big Plans for the Police Force Emerge from Budget Debate

    Big Plans for the Police Force Emerge from Budget Debate

    After three days of intensive deliberations featuring presentations from all 31 elected area representatives, Belize’s 2026 national budget debate has officially concluded. While the parliamentary session was marked by heated exchanges and competing policy proposals across government departments, one high-impact announcement rose above the discourse: a sweeping planned investment in the Belize Police Department, revealed by Oscar Mira, the Belmopan Area Representative and Minister of Home Affairs.

    News outlets quickly sought reaction from the top of the national law enforcement agency, and Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado expressed enthusiastic approval of the government’s commitment. In a statement following the budget announcement, Rosado extended gratitude to the Government of Belize for earmarking substantial funding for two key priorities: the full modernization of the police force and the integration of advanced new technologies into daily operations. He further commended the administration for its targeted investment to strengthen policing capacity across every region of the country.

    This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television newscast originally published online, with formatting adjusted for digital readership.

  • Armed Home Invasion in Ladyville Leaves Elderly Couple Shaken

    Armed Home Invasion in Ladyville Leaves Elderly Couple Shaken

    On a quiet Monday night in late March 2026, what was supposed to be a routine evening of television relaxation for an elderly couple living in Ladyville quickly devolved into a terrifying traumatic encounter that has left the local community on edge.

    According to law enforcement officials, 73-year-old Bobby Austin, a retired American citizen, and his 63-year-old wife Pamela Austin had just settled into their living room just before 9 p.m. when three unknown men forced entry into their private residence. One of the intruders immediately brandished a loaded firearm, intimidating and trapping the couple while the group systematically ransacked the property in search of valuables.

    By the time the assailants fled the scene, they had stolen thousands of dollars worth of personal property. The haul included a luxury Rolex watch appraised at 20,000 Belize dollars, a collection of assorted fine jewelry, sets of keys for both the couple’s home and vehicles, and a newer iPhone 16. Both victims sustained minor physical injuries during the confrontation, and the pair have been left deeply shaken by the violent violation of their home.

    Remarkably, law enforcement officers were dispatched to the neighborhood and arrived at the property while the robbery was still in progress. First responders were able to recover the stolen iPhone shortly after the incident, but the three suspects managed to evade capture and remain at large as of the latest update.

    In the wake of this brazen attack, local investigators have ramped up their manhunt for the perpetrators. Neighbors in the Ladyville community are now grappling with growing fears over personal and property safety, as this armed invasion marks the latest high-profile home invasion to shake the area. As of publication, no new arrests have been announced in the case, and investigations are ongoing.

  • Police, BDF, Coast Guard Heighten Security Ahead of Easter Weekend

    Police, BDF, Coast Guard Heighten Security Ahead of Easter Weekend

    As Belize prepares for the annual Easter holiday weekend, with communities across the nation gearing up for traditional gatherings, public events and recreational outings, national security forces have activated a full-scale coordinated security operation to protect residents and visitors alike. The enhanced initiative brings together three major security agencies — the Belize Police Department, Belize Defence Force (BDF), and the Belize Coast Guard — alongside national transport authorities to cover security across land, road networks and coastal maritime areas.

    Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado outlined that the 2026 Easter security strategy is centered on three core priorities: increased visible patrol presence, inter-agency collaboration, and proactive threat prevention rather than reactive response. Speaking in an interview ahead of the long weekend, Rosado expressed gratitude to all partner agencies for their unified effort to roll out a cohesive operational framework that safeguards all Belizeans during the holiday period.

    When asked to detail deployment plans for the holiday, Rosado explained that officers have been assigned to cover every public Easter event hosted by municipalities across the country. On major roadways, vehicle checkpoints (VCPs) will operate in peak travel hours, run jointly by police, National Transport officials and traffic wardens to monitor traffic safety and enforce road rules. Along the country’s coastline and key waterways popular with holiday-makers, the BDF and Coast Guard will carry out regular coordinated maritime patrols to respond to any emergency and prevent illegal activity.

    Travelers across Belize can expect to see an increased uniformed presence across all high-traffic areas, including town centers, popular recreation sites, border crossings and coastal access points throughout the Easter weekend. This report is a transcript of an evening television broadcast from a local Belizean news outlet.