Police Minister Accuses Belizean for Justice Members of involvement in Illegal Drug Trade

Why does the new Minister of Police keeps putting his foot in his mouth?  The recent cabinet alignment was inevitable since the entire population had lost confidence in the dead Minister of Police, Carlos Perdomo.  But when the Hon. Doug Singh was named Minister of Police immediately red flags went up since he had no experience in law enforcement or in policing.  For the first couple of weeks of his appointment, he appeared to be kind of what the Police Department needed, but his incubation period lasted only two weeks and quickly it seems the roof came crushing down on him.  The Belize Police Department that was under continuous attack from the general public was totally devastated when their own minister started personal attacks and harsh criticism of our men and women in uniform.

The first public challenge directed to the minister came from the Belizeans for Justice Organization “challenging him to replace Commissioner Crispin Jefferies”.  The most vocal players from the organization, the ladies who hold executive positions in BFJ were encouraged for two reasons: one, that the minister has publicly criticize the management style of the commissioner, and two, had promised to meet with the executive of the organization. But all of that now seems to have come to a crashing halt because the minister has made public attacks on members of the organization on separate morning talk shows.  Remember that these ladies received death threats purportedly from police.

The minister appeared on Love FM’s morning talk show yesterday Wednesday, July 28^th and accused the family of the innocent 8 year old gunshot victim, Marquis Mahler, of being involved in illicit drug activities for many many years at that #40 Fabers Road address. He also inferred that it is the family that is responsible for his death.

He also went on to suggest that another member of the BFJ and the mother of a notorious gang leader were also suspected of being involved in illicit drug activity in the past.  These accusations prompted a family member of young Marquis and a member of the BFJ to call the WUB Morning Vibes the Friday morning.

Minister Singh responded with a call to the WUB where the host Sharon Marin and Mose Hyde challenged him, asking him why he was calling the names of people suspected and or alleged to be involved with illicit drugs particularly in this case, both persons being members of the BFJ.

Mose asked Minister Singh if he was willing to name big business people and officials who are suspected of being involved in the trafficking of illicit drugs.  This resulted in a public back and forth live on national radio between the show’s hosts and the minister.

The minister compromisingly “lapped his tail” and said, “If I offended anybody, I apologize.”

With all the incidents involving this police minister so far in such a short space of time, and coming on the heels of that section of Dr. Herbert Gayle’s report where it states that the Belize Police Department is corrupt, have we exchanged “monkey fi black dog?”  Or have we gone from “grace to grass to —“?

Or just perhaps the bigger question is, “Since Hon. Doug Singh became Minister of Police is our police department any better?”

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