Carib Scope

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  • National Trust Act violated at historic Fort Zeelandia during Independence Flag Raising

    National Trust Act violated at historic Fort Zeelandia during Independence Flag Raising

    Last updated Friday, 19 June 2026, a leading urban and regional planning expert has sounded the alarm over severe, avoidable risks to Fort Zeelandia, a nearly 300-year-old brick heritage site on Guyana’s Fort Island in the Essequibo River, following unregulated activity tied to last month’s 60th independence anniversary flag-raising ceremony.

    Dr. Allyson Stoll, a United States-trained city and regional planning specialist, outlined multiple harmful interventions that have already compromised the fragile 1749 structure in comments to Demerara Waves Online News. Pre-ceremony grading work stripped topsoil from areas adjacent to the fort’s historic structures, and bulldozers cleared a stand of mangroves – a critical natural habitat for native birds and marine species that also helped stabilize the fort’s surrounding soil.

    During the evening ceremony, no officials were present to enforce heritage protection regulations set by Guyana’s National Trust. Witnesses observed members of the public climbing, sitting, walking and jumping across already weather-worn sections of the brick fort, while uniformed Disciplined Services personnel stood on the structure’s upper level.

    Stoll emphasized that allowing foot traffic and weight-bearing activity on the fort’s historic brick revetments and earthen ramparts is never acceptable, given the site’s advanced age and fragile condition. “The entire section can collapse inward or outward, especially after the removal of vegetation that held the outer revetment in place,” she explained. “Bricks can become dislodged individually or in entire sections. The situation is already made worse by the fact that many loose bricks have previously been stolen by island residents to use as foundation material for private homes.”

    Guyana’s National Trust has posted an official warning sign near the fort, stating that anyone who damages the protected site can face a fine of GY$130,000 and a court order to cover all costs of repairs. This mandate is formalized under the National Trust Act, which specifies that any person who disturbs, damages, or interferes with a national monument without written approval from the National Trust is liable on summary conviction to the six-figure fine, plus additional court-ordered compensation for restoration work.

    A gaping lack of prior structural assessment has compounded risks, Stoll noted. No comprehensive scientific analysis has ever been completed to map the fort’s current condition, leaving experts unable to confirm whether load-bearing walls remain stable, whether burrowing animals have weakened substructures, or whether the original 1740s iron bracing used to hold the brick walls in place is still intact.

    In addition to unauthorized activity during the event, Stoll condemned unapproved pre-ceremony construction work that saw tons of river sand dumped and compacted across the fort site by heavy machinery. “It is absolute madness to introduce untested new materials to a centuries-old earthen fort that has never even been structurally studied,” she said. “Any qualified structural engineer would have immediately rejected this plan. There was no justifiable reason to put this irreplaceable heritage site at risk for a single ceremonial event.”

  • Bewoners Houttuin vragen DNA opslag radioactieve bronnen op te schorten

    Bewoners Houttuin vragen DNA opslag radioactieve bronnen op te schorten

    On a Thursday in mid-June, community activists and local residents from Houttuin and its surrounding residential areas delivered a formal petition to Suriname’s National Assembly (DNA), calling for immediate intervention to halt a proposed radioactive source storage and contaminated material treatment facility planned for the Kuldipsingh industrial site in their neighborhood. The petitioners argue that the project’s potential threats to public health and the local environment have been woefully understudied, and demand a full, independent re-evaluation of the entire proposal before any construction proceeds.

    The petition was formally received by Ivanildo Plein, first deputy vice-chairperson of the National Assembly, during a brief suspension of the body’s public plenary session, with multiple sitting members of parliament present to acknowledge the community’s concerns. It bears the signatures of hundreds of stakeholders, including prominent local organizers Maggie Schmeitz, Winston Stüger, and dozens of other long-term residents of Houttuin and adjacent neighborhoods.

    Beyond calling for a temporary suspension of all pre-construction activities and a complete project reassessment, the petition outlines four core demands: a mandatory reclassification of the project’s risk category, a full environmental impact assessment (EIA) conducted exclusively by independent, unbiased experts, and guaranteed meaningful community inclusion at every stage of future decision-making for the proposal.

    According to Schmeitz and Stüzer, the Suriname National Environmental Authority (NMA) incorrectly categorized the facility as a Category B Track 2 project, a classification that only requires a limited environmental analysis rather than a full EIA. After this initial classification, regulators approved moving forward with only a standalone environmental management and monitoring plan, which the residents note imposes far weaker scrutiny and stricter regulatory requirements than a full impact assessment.

    The petitioners emphasize that the storage and handling of radioactive sources, which fall under the category of radiological hazardous contaminants, belong to the highest risk classification under both national regulations and international safety standards. For this reason, a full independent EIA is not just requested, but legally and ethically required, they argue.

    The community also highlights that binding international nuclear safety guidelines require such high-risk facilities to be sited in remote, sparsely populated, geologically stable locations, at a safe distance from major drinking water sources and residential zones. The proposed Houttuin site fails to meet every one of these basic requirements, according to the petition. Residents also point to critical gaps in the existing environmental review: no comprehensive study of alternative locations, such as isolated industrial zones far from residential areas, was ever conducted, and there is no complete risk analysis mapping potential impacts to local soil, groundwater, and the long-term health of people living within proximity of the facility.

    In an additional revealing finding, the organizers note that residents only discovered through persistent questioning that the facility would not just store radioactive materials in hermetically sealed packaging. Workers will also regularly open these containers to adjust the sources in the on-site workshop, a detail that makes the project’s official description as a simple “storage facility” intentionally misleading, the petitioners say.

    Criticism is also leveled at the authors of the existing incomplete environmental report. The residents note the experts who prepared the document lack specialized training and credentials in nuclear engineering or health physics, meaning the report cannot serve as a credible or reliable foundation for a responsible final decision on the project.

    In response to the petition, Plein confirmed that the National Assembly has already taken note of the community’s concerns. The issue has already been discussed internally among parliamentary leadership, he said, and lawmakers will now work to identify a path forward that brings all relevant regulatory agencies together to address residents’ demands and reach a collaborative solution. Plein added that the petition will also be brought directly to the attention of the National Assembly’s president for further review.

  • Court awards welder over $100,000

    Court awards welder over $100,000

    A Trinidadian blue-collar worker has secured a significant legal victory against the state, after a high court judge ruled he was wrongfully arrested, imprisoned and maliciously prosecuted over a 2016 drunk driving charge that was ultimately thrown out due to fatal police evidence errors.

    Thirty-eight-year-old Narace Dwarpaul, a welder by trade, was pulled over on June 11, 2016, during a routine roadside traffic enforcement operation on the M2 Ring Road in La Fortune. Police arrested him on charges of failing to provide a valid breath specimen for alcohol testing, in violation of the country’s Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act. But when the case went to a lower magistrate’s trial, law enforcement submitted a breath test result slip that was clearly erroneous: it carried a woman’s name and was dated 2015, a full year before the stop. The magistrate subsequently dismissed the charge, finding Dwarpaul not guilty, and he launched a civil claim against the state for damages in 2019, three years after his arrest.

    Dwarpaul, represented by attorneys Ramesh Deena and Christian Deena, laid out his account of the 2016 incident in his witness testimony. He told the court he had not consumed any alcohol that evening before he was stopped, and he complied fully with officers’ instructions to blow into the breath testing device. Instead of processing the result correctly, Dwarpaul said officers accused him of wasting their time. He claimed he was never shown any test reading, was handcuffed, transported to a local police station, and held in a dirty holding cell for roughly seven hours, where he was also denied access to a telephone call.

    The state, defended by attorney Rachael Jacob, called two witnesses to support its case: the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) who oversaw the traffic operation, and the constable who filed the original drunk driving charge against Dwarpaul. The constable’s testimony painted a very different picture. He claimed Dwarpaul admitted to having consumed alcohol, a field sobriety test returned a reading of 91 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath – nearly three times the 35 microgram legal limit – and that the welder deliberately manipulated the breath test mouthpiece, leading to three consecutive void readings on subsequent tests. The officer also asserted he showed Dwarpaul every invalid result, allowed the claimant to make four phone calls from the scene of the stop, and held him in a newly painted, well-kept single cell.

    The ASP’s account contradicted the constable’s testimony on key points: under cross-examination, he said Dwarpaul was never handcuffed, and that all four of his phone calls were made from the police station, not the roadside. These conflicting statements became a central pillar of the high court’s eventual ruling.

    Delivering judgment in the case, Justice Robin Mohammed highlighted that the inconsistencies between the two state witnesses were not minor errors – they touched on the core facts of Dwarpaul’s arrest and treatment in custody. The judge also emphasized that the submission of the incorrect test slip, bearing another person’s name and the wrong year, raised serious red flags about the prosecution’s conduct.

    Mohammed ruled that Dwarpaul had successfully proven the prosecution against him lacked any reasonable or probable cause. He pointed to a series of failures in the constable’s investigation and evidence: inconsistent witness testimony, no accurate contemporaneous records, the missing valid test slip, the failure to call the officer who initially stopped Dwarpaul to testify, and the submission of the erroneous test document all confirmed the prosecution was not built on legitimate grounds.

    “The court finds that the claimant has proved on a balance of probabilities an absence of reasonable and probable cause,” Mohammed wrote in his judgment. The judge further ruled the constable had acted with malice, finding that “the inference is that he was prepared to use questionable means – including an erroneous test record – to secure a conviction. I find that it is an improper and wrongful motive.”

    In terms of damages, the judge awarded Dwarpaul $85,000 in general damages, with 2.5% annual interest accruing from 2020 through 2026. He also ordered the state to pay $7,500 in special damages, with 1.5% annual interest running from 2017 to the present. While Mohammed declined to award aggravated or exemplary damages, he ordered the state to cover all of Dwarpaul’s legal costs in the case. Total compensation, including accrued interest, exceeds $100,000.

    The Deena brothers were instructed on the case by attorney Vishwanath Rambaran, while Jacob was instructed by attorney Sara Muslim.

  • New Joshua Obadiah Williams Primary School Set for January Opening

    New Joshua Obadiah Williams Primary School Set for January Opening

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — More than a year after breaking ground, the ambitious reconstruction of the Joshua Obadiah Williams Primary School in Molineux is moving toward completion, with government officials planning to welcome students to the upgraded facility at the start of the January 2027 academic term. All on-site construction work is on track to be finished by October 2026, according to updates from local public works authorities.

    The EC$8 million transformation project is being delivered by three construction firms working in parallel across different zones of the campus, keeping the build on schedule after 11 and a half months of steady progress. What was originally planned as a simple replacement of the aging original structure has evolved into a comprehensive expansion and modernization initiative that will serve both the school population and the entire surrounding Molineux community.

    Structural Engineer Jared Joseph shared project details during a recent press briefing, noting that the project team made a deliberate decision to go far beyond replicating the old school’s footprint. “It would have been straightforward to rebuild to the same dimensions and specifications we had before,” Joseph explained. “Instead, the Public Works Department opted to design a cutting-edge educational facility focused on lifting quality of life for students, staff and the whole neighborhood.”

    The scale of the upgrade is dramatic: the original 8,400-square-foot school has been expanded to roughly 25,500 square feet, tripling the total usable space of the campus. Every section of the facility has been reimagined to address longstanding gaps in the old building. Classrooms for students are now 50% larger than they were in the previous structure, providing more room for interactive learning and student movement. The new campus also features upgraded science laboratories, a dedicated student library, expanded faculty workspaces, private restrooms for teaching staff, and dedicated amenities for employees, including a larger staff lounge, a designated lunch area, and extra open spaces for relaxation and collaborative planning.

    One of the most community-focused additions to the campus is a new multi-purpose auditorium, a flexible space designed to meet multiple needs across different contexts. “The first role this space will fill is hosting the school’s assemblies, plays and student performances,” Joseph said. “But for local residents, it will operate as a public community center, and in emergency situations, it is engineered to serve as a certified hurricane shelter.”

    To support reliable operation during crises, the school is also outfitted with a large capacity cistern for water storage and a full-size backup generator, ensuring the facility remains functional during power outages or disruptions to public utilities, a critical feature for both daily operations and its emergency shelter role.

    Joseph emphasized that the project’s impact will extend far beyond the school gates. “We’re confident this development will deliver lasting benefits not just to teachers and students, but to the entire community,” he said. “We hope this model of inclusive, multi-purpose public infrastructure will be replicated in other districts across the country in coming years.”

    With structural work largely complete, the project is now moving into the final phase of fixture installation and interior finishing, all scheduled for completion by October. Government project leads confirmed that the timeline remains on track, and they are looking forward to welcoming the first cohort of students to the new facility when the January academic term begins.

  • Government Warns Vandalized Bus Stops Could Lead to Prosecution

    Government Warns Vandalized Bus Stops Could Lead to Prosecution

    Authorities in Antigua and Barbuda are advancing a broad national initiative to upgrade and preserve community public assets, with new plans to ramp up surveillance and pursue legal consequences against people who intentionally vandalize shared infrastructure such as bus stops. The policy outline was revealed during a post-Cabinet media briefing held Thursday, where government officials also unveiled a nationwide package of infrastructure improvements including renovated bus stops, updated road signage, and refreshed road markings.

    The conversation around harsher anti-vandalism measures followed repeated incidents of deliberate damage to public bus shelters, which have left many existing facilities in a state of severe disrepair that requires costly major repairs. Maurice Merchant, the country’s Director General of Communications, explained that the administration is currently evaluating a range of strategies to deter further destruction of facilities built and maintained using public taxpayer funds.

    “Surveillance represents one key strategy to make sure these facilities stay intact and accessible for public use,” Merchant noted in his remarks to reporters. He confirmed that constructive discussions are already ongoing between government officials and national law enforcement agencies to establish processes for identifying and prosecuting anyone found guilty of intentional public property damage. “Conversations are already underway with the law enforcement community to target these individuals who recklessly destroy public assets for no discernible reason,” Merchant added.

    Under the proposed new accountability framework, people found responsible for damaging public infrastructure will be held financially liable for the cost of repairs. Merchant clarified that this requirement already applies to damage caused by reckless driving, and will be extended to cases of intentional vandalism: “If public property is destroyed, those responsible will be required to repay the full cost of repairs.”

    The broader infrastructure rehabilitation project, which includes the installation of new directional, road and traffic signs, is being funded through the national Tourism Fund, and will bring upgrades to bus stops across both islands of the nation. In addition to formal enforcement measures, Merchant issued a public call for greater collective responsibility to protect shared community assets, urging residents to embrace a greater sense of national pride. He questioned why any member of the public would seek to destroy facilities designed for the benefit of the entire community.

    As of the briefing, the government has not yet released a specific timeline for the rollout of new surveillance measures, but officials confirmed that stricter enforcement and clearer personal accountability for damage will be core components of the ongoing national effort to upgrade and maintain public infrastructure across Antigua and Barbuda.

  • Bees Relocated and Tree Removed in Safety Operation at St. Joseph’s Academy

    Bees Relocated and Tree Removed in Safety Operation at St. Joseph’s Academy

    A collaborative safety and environmental initiative at St. Joseph’s Academy has successfully resolved a growing public safety threat while protecting a vulnerable local insect population, through the coordinated work of government bodies and independent environmental stakeholders. The risk originated from a huge beehive that had taken root inside the trunk of a mature flamboyant tree on the school’s campus, which sits frequented by hundreds of students, staff, and local community members daily. For weeks, local officials had flagged the overgrown hive as a major safety hazard, noting that unexpected disturbances to the colony could lead to dangerous stinging incidents that put passersby at severe risk.

    To address the issue without unnecessary harm to the bee population, authorities assembled a multi-partner team that brought together complementary skill sets: enforcement and logistical support from the National Solid Waste Management Authority, tree removal resources from the Ministry of Public Works, and specialized apiculture expertise from Davina Joyce, a veteran local beekeeper and active member of the Antigua and Barbuda Bee Keepers Cooperative. Before the diseased and structurally unstable tree was taken down, Joyce and her team conducted a meticulous extraction of the entire hive, carefully moving hundreds of live bees to a new, remote location where the colony can thrive without posing a risk to nearby people.

    Following the completion of the operation, the Ministry of Public Works released a statement emphasizing that the successful outcome was a direct product of intentional cross-sector collaboration. Rather than opting for a fast but destructive approach that would have eliminated the bee colony entirely, the team prioritized both public safety and environmental stewardship, balancing the needs of the school community with the ecological value of local pollinator populations. Officials framed the operation as a replicable model for communities across the region, proving that proactive public safety management does not require trading off the protection of local wildlife. By aligning the goals of government agencies and environmental stakeholders, the project delivered a positive result that serves both people and the local ecosystem.

  • Creation of the Haiti’s School and Vocational Guidance Unit

    Creation of the Haiti’s School and Vocational Guidance Unit

    Haiti’s Ministry of Education is taking a landmark step to transform its national education system, announcing the creation of a dedicated national support body aimed at tackling persistent academic failure, lifting up struggling students, and unlocking the potential of gifted learners across the country.

    In an official circular dated June 18, 2026, Education Minister Vijonet Déméro framed the new initiative around a core principle: that every student, regardless of their learning profile, deserves tailored psycho-educational support that matches their unique needs. To turn this commitment into action, the ministry has formally established the School and Vocational Guidance Unit, known by its Haitian Creole acronym UNOSP, which will operate as a central body under the Ministry’s Directorate General, led by a coordinator appointed by senior government authorities.

    UNOSP carries three defining core missions designed to address gaps that have long hampered Haitian education. First, the unit will target students facing learning challenges or at risk of dropping out of school, leading systematic identification, diagnostic assessment, and the development of customized psycho-educational remediation plans to keep students engaged and on track. Second, it will create formal, standardized pathways for supporting children with High Intellectual Potential (HIP), rolling out official identification protocols and designing enriched or accelerated learning tracks to help gifted students reach their full potential. Third, UNOSP will deliver structured career and vocational guidance, supporting students as they choose secondary, vocational, and university study paths, and helping them build personalized “Future Plans” that align both with their individual abilities and the current and emerging needs of Haiti’s labor market.

    To ensure accessible, localized support reaches every corner of the country, UNOSP has built a decentralized operational structure rooted in Haiti’s regional education system. Each of the nation’s Departmental Directorates of Education (DDE) will launch a local Departmental School and Vocational Guidance Service (SDOSP), which will act as the on-the-ground operational arm of the national unit. These local services will be staffed by a multidisciplinary team of qualified professionals including career counselors, educational psychologists, and social workers, who will collaborate closely with local school principals and education inspectorates to deliver seamless support at the community level.

    As the central coordinating authority, UNOSP has formalized collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders across the Haitian education ecosystem to deliver holistic, integrated support. It will work hand-in-hand with the School Health Directorate (DSS) to cross-reference medical diagnoses of visual, auditory, neurological, or psychological disorders with reported learning difficulties, ensuring students receive comprehensive care that addresses all root causes of academic challenges. It will also partner with the Ministry’s technical directorates covering curriculum, preschool, basic, and secondary education, as well as the Commission for School Adaptation and Social Support (CASAS), to co-design adapted curricula, structured guidance pathways, and enrichment programs that meet diverse student needs. Regional education bodies including DDEs and School District Offices (BDS) will implement national guidelines at the local level, with BDS and zone inspection offices providing on-the-ground monitoring, technical oversight, and critical data collection. Ultimately, local public and private schools serve as the first point of contact for identifying at-risk or gifted students and implementing individualized support plans, creating a layered support system that starts in the classroom.

    UNOSP has been granted formal regulatory and final decision-making authority over all matters related to educational guidance and support across Haiti. All assessments, psycho-educational reports, and guidance proposals submitted by school psychologists, principals, or DDE technical services must undergo formal review by UNOSP before taking effect. It is the only government body authorized to officially validate, approve, or reject high-stakes decisions affecting a student’s educational trajectory, including grade skipping or placement in accelerated programs for gifted learners, admission to technical, vocational, or specialized education tracks, and placement in remedial or adapted education programs. Critically, no final placement or educational adjustment can be imposed on a student or their family without the explicit official approval of the UNOSP Coordinator or their authorized departmental representative, protecting student and family autonomy in educational decision-making.

    In the final provisions of the circular, the Ministry ordered immediate implementation of the new structure, with the Directorate General, Human Resources Directorate, and all regional education authorities tasked with rolling out the framework within their jurisdictions. All affected bodies have a 90-day window from the circular’s publication to submit their full staff deployment plans to the Minister’s Office and the Human Resources Directorate, setting the stage for the new unit to begin operating across Haiti by the end of September 2026.

  • Elmer Nah Waits One More Day To Learn Fate

    Elmer Nah Waits One More Day To Learn Fate

    On June 18, 2026, families of the three murdered Ramnarace family members entered Belize’s High Court in Belmopan anticipating a final resolution to a case that has stretched for nearly four years. Instead, they left the grieving process on pause, after Justice Nigel Pilgrim delayed the sentencing of former police corporal Elmer Nah to the following morning.

    Nah was found guilty by a jury on May 29 this year for one of the most brutal acts of violence Belmopan has seen in recent years: a premeditated New Year’s Eve 2022 shooting inside the Ramnarace family home that left Jon, David, and Vivian Ramnarace dead. Yenie Alberto, the fourth target, survived the attempted murder, leaving her to carry lifelong trauma from the attack.

    Emotion hung heavy in the courtroom as Vashti Belisle, speaking on behalf of the victim’s family, delivered a raw, 30-minute victim impact statement that detailed the irreparable hole left by the killings. Belisle recalled Vivian Ramnarace — a loving mother and dedicated public servant — and shared a chilling final memory from the night of the attack: a frantic emergency call from Vivian begging for help, with the plea “We just got shot up. Come for the baby.” The revelation left the courtroom gripped by the violence that shattered the quiet community.

    Prosecutors pushed aggressively for a life sentence, outlining multiple aggravating factors that warrant the harshest possible punishment. They noted the attack targeted multiple people, was carried out brazenly inside a private family home, and left a young child who witnessed the killings with permanent psychological harm. Justice Pilgrim echoed the severity of these details, adding that one victim was a serving public servant and that court evidence clearly indicates the murders were planned in advance, not a spontaneous act of violence.

    In contrast, Nah’s defense team, led by attorney Dr. Lynden Jones, argued for leniency, asking the court to weigh Nah’s decades of prior service as a law enforcement officer, his clean criminal record before the 2022 attack, and the potential for rehabilitation. Nah himself did not address the court, and no witnesses were called to testify in his support. When pressed for comment by reporter Shane Williams of News Five, Nah offered only a brief, cryptic line in Kriol: “Noh watch me fall. Watch me rise.”

    After closing arguments from both legal teams, Justice Pilgrim announced he needed additional time to carefully review all submissions and evidence before handing down a ruling that will determine whether Nah spends the rest of his life in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. on June 19, 2026, leaving the Ramnarace family to wait one more day for the closure they have long sought.

  • Espat Faces Heat Over Highway Drain Complaints

    Espat Faces Heat Over Highway Drain Complaints

    A major $65 million infrastructure rehabilitation project along two of Belize’s busiest arterial highways is facing growing public backlash after local residents raised urgent alarms over flawed drainage design that threatens to bring repeated flooding to their properties. The ongoing upgrades, covering the George Price Highway stretch from Hattieville to Belize City’s Pound Yard Bridge and the parallel Phillip Goldson Highway, were billed as a long-term improvement to regional connectivity and quality of life. But for homeowners living adjacent to the construction zones, the project has created an immediate new hazard: newly installed drainage systems along the road edge are graded higher than adjacent residential yards, leaving properties vulnerable to standing water and flood damage during heavy rain events.

    As public criticism mounts, Julius Espat, Belize’s Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing, has come under increasing pressure to address the hundreds of resident complaints. In a recent press briefing responding to the concerns, Espat pushed back against critiques while acknowledging the growing pains that accompany large-scale public infrastructure projects. He emphasized that every resident grievance is being evaluated individually by government teams, rather than being dismissed out of hand.

    Espat explained that the higher road grading and redesigned drainage systems at the center of complaints are not mistakes, but intentional changes required to meet modern climate resilience standards. International financial institutions (IFIs) that provided the loan funding for the rehabilitation project mandate that all new infrastructure meet updated climate resilience criteria, a response to shifting global weather patterns that have brought more frequent extreme storm events to coastal regions like Belize.

    To adapt to these changing conditions, Espat noted, the project incorporates multiple climate-focused adjustments: road beds are being elevated to reduce flood damage to the highway itself, more extensive and deeper drainage networks are being installed to handle larger rain volumes, and more durable concrete is being used in place of traditional chip seal and hot mix asphalt in high-exposure areas. He added that most complaints arise during the early construction phase, when temporary elevated grading is still in place before final adjustments are completed. To resolve individual concerns, Espat said the ministry has deployed dedicated teams of civil engineers and social outreach specialists to meet directly with affected homeowners, assess their specific flood risks, and implement targeted adjustments to address each community’s needs.

    This report is a transcribed excerpt from an evening television news broadcast in Belize.

  • Hundreds of Police Officers Honored for Bravery and Dedication

    Hundreds of Police Officers Honored for Bravery and Dedication

    On a sweltering June afternoon in 2026, hundreds of police officers from every corner of Belize assembled in crisp ceremonial formation at the Police Training Academy’s Parade Square, gathered not for a routine deployment or emergency response, but for a long-overdue moment of national recognition. The special ceremony was organized to celebrate the discipline, dedication, and extraordinary public service that have kept Belizean communities safe for years, shining a well-deserved spotlight on officers who have gone above and beyond the standard requirements of their roles.

    Local journalist Paul Lopez of News Five attended the event and filed this on-the-ground report. Braving blistering mid-afternoon heat, the uniformed officers stood shoulder to shoulder at attention, their ranks filled with personnel who have spent decades committed to protecting Belize and its people. Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Commissioner of Police ACP Bart Jones opened by framing the event as anything but a typical workday for the force. “Today is not an ordinary day. It is one of recognition, gratitude and pride,” Jones said. “It is a day when we as an institution pause to recognize the men and women who have given years of faithful service, discipline and courageous service to the people of Belize and this cannot be overstated.”

    Police Commissioner Dr. Richard Rosado expanded on that sentiment, noting that the awards and medals being handed out were only a symbol of a far more important value: the quiet sacrifice and unwavering commitment that defines outstanding policing. “Today, we gather not merely to present medals and awards, but to celebrate something far greater, the enduring service, the spirit of sacrifice and the commitment that define the very best of policing,” Rosado explained. “In the life of a police officer there are countless moments that pass unnoticed by the public eye, moments when courage is chosen over comfort, moments when duty is placed over public convenience, moments when men and women answer a call, step into uncertainty and stand between order and disorder.”

    The ceremony recognized a range of achievements across the force. Many officers were honored for decades of continuous long service, with some marking more than 20 years in uniform and a handful reaching the exceptional milestone of 30 years of public service. Other awards went to officers with spotless, discipline-free records, while special commendations were reserved for those who had demonstrated extraordinary bravery or effort beyond their assigned duties. In addition to service awards, more than a dozen sitting sergeants received promotions to the rank of inspector, with senior leadership officially pinning their new badges during the event.

    Oscar Mira, Belize’s Minister of Home Affairs, addressed the gathered officers, emphasizing the critical role the police force plays in the country’s ongoing growth and stability. “Men and women from every district, town and city, have dedicated themselves to supporting our national development, protecting communities, safeguarding trade, supporting industries and promoting safe environments that allow our nation to prosper,” Mira said. “Throughout the development of Belize, the Belize Police Department has remained an essential pillar of governance and national stability. Today I simply say thank you for your service.” Mira added that alongside recognizing milestones of long service and good conduct, it was critical to honor officers who had distinguished themselves through exceptional performance that went beyond the call of duty.

    As the ceremony drew to a close, the full contingent of officers marched off the parade square to enthusiastic applause from the hundreds of family members, friends, and fellow law enforcement colleagues who had gathered to watch the event. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez. This report is a transcript of an evening television broadcast prepared by the outlet’s news team.