Belize is a beautiful nation; still developing and richly blessed but scarred by violence and crime. According to the “Belize 2013 Crime and Safety Report” on the official website of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security –OSAC, “violent crime has risen steadily over the past several years in Belize” (2013). Last month, The United Nations Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC) released a report on their official website titled “Global Study on Homicide” This report ranks Belize as the third most murderous nation in the world (UNODC, 2014). “CNN Travel” (2012) rates Belize City, Belize as the tenth most hated city in the world. Crime and violence: ranging from murders, to robbery, rape, traffic crimes, domestic violence, human smuggling and trafficking, cybercrime, drug trade, money laundering, and organized gang activities are very common in Belize and remain significant criminal problems. This is the result of a number of combined factors such as the lack of education, poverty and ultimately the “unequipped” or “inadequately-resourced” conditions of the executive arm of the government.
The current “state” of the law enforcement agencies in Belize: the Belize Police Department, the Belize Defense Force and the Belize Immigration and Nationality Services is “heart-breaking”. It is apparent that the law enforcement agencies are ill-prepared to efficiently tackle violence and crime in the nation. One of the critical issues with the enforcement of the law in Belize is isolation - from technology, research, advice and collaboration with other sectors of the executive and the judiciary. The impeded and resisted absolute incorporation of computer and information systems into law enforcement has promoted this isol...
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...to curb the level of crime and violence in Belize.
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Introduction The exponential growth of gangs in the Northern Triangle countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) has led to an epidemic of violence across the region. The two largest and most formidable gangs in the Northern Triangle, the Mara Salvatrucha-13 (MS-13) and the Barrio 18, wage battles against one another to control territory and defend against incursions. In 2011, Honduras led the world in homicides, with 91.6 per 100,000 people; rates were also alarmingly high in El Salvador and Guatemala, at 69.1 and 38.5 per 100,000 people, respectively. In El Salvador, a country with a population of only 6.2 million people, 4,354 were the victims of homicide in 2011 alone, with the Catholic Church estimating that more than 1,300 of these deaths were the direct result of gang violence. To counteract the growth of the gang phenomenon, during the 2000s the Northern Triangle countries favored a mano dura (iron fist) approach to dealing with the increasing belligerence of gangs.
...ce of petty crimes will lead to the increment in the number of serious crimes. Just like other authors, Bratton believes that the examination of crime statistics by time, place and other factors is very effective in discovering how to organize police resources. However, all these readings fail to integrate Kauffman's ‘Theology of Consensus’ which would have enabled readers to understand and appreciate least splendid but vital aspects of the police department.
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There was a decline in crime during the 1990s. Our country enjoyed seven years of declining crime for the period 1991-98, the most recent data available. During this period crime declined by 22% and violent crime by 25%. These are welcome developments, particularly following the surge of crime and violence of the late 1980s. This decline occurred during a time when the national prison population has increased substantially, rising from 789,60 in 1991 to 1,252,830, a 59% rise in just seven years and a 47% increase in the rate of incarceration, taking into account changes in the national population (Mauer 21-24).
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In most cases, law enforcement involves investigation of all forms of suspected, potential or actual criminal activities and presenting evidence arising from investigation to the courts for determination of criminal culpability and subsequent punishment. Law enforcement is also concerned with detaining criminal suspects pending further investigation or judicial action. These, however, are not the only responsibilities or functions of law enforcement. Law enforcement is also concerned with deterrence and prevention of crime as well as enforcement of all the orders given by the law courts such as writs or warrants. In addition, law enforcement play an important role in ensuring public safety, maintaining public order, operating c...
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