Dr. Richard Rosado has officially become the new Commissioner of Police.

by Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Fri. May 2, 2025

On Wednesday, April 30, the title of Commissioner of Police was officially transferred from erstwhile ComPol, Chester Williams to Dr. Richard Rosado at the Belize Police Training Academy in Belmopan.

_{Chester Williams, outgoing Commissioner of Police}

“This is a bittersweet moment. As I said, policing has been my life. I joined the ranks of the Police Department at age 17, coming straight out of a bakery to a police officer; and that is all I know,” said Williams. He continued, “It is bitter, to the extent that it is what I have been doing all my [adult] life, and it is sour, because I am leaving; and it is sweet; for the simple fact that I now get an opportunity to go somewhere else, and see how best I can continue to serve my country,” remarked Williams.

_{Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize arriving}

“Dr. Rosado has been by my side [since] I became Commissioner of Police. He was in the Eastern Division, and came to Belmopan in 2022. Since then, he has been Commander of Operations and integral in all our planning, even our policing plan. He is the architect of that plan; so he knows where we’re going, where we came from, and I am sure he will build on what we have done over the past six years,” Williams went on to say.

After serving over three decades as a police officer, Williams will leave his career in law enforcement to take up his newly appointed position as CEO in the Ministry of Constitution & Religious Affairs, Indigenous Affairs & Transportation.

“So, moving over with Dr. [Louis Zabaneh] at that ministry is something I welcome. I look forward to doing what we can to address the plague that confronts commuters. I traverse this country from Punta Gorda to Corozal, from Belize [City] to Benque, and on many occasions, I see the type of buses on our highways that our commuters have to bear the pain to ride in the morning to go to work, and in the evening to go home. [Often], we see these buses break down on the side of the road, commuters standing outside waiting for transport to get them to work or back home. These are things that need to stop,” Williams noted.

Dr. Rosado, who has served as a police officer for 28 years, holds a PhD in Business Administration, with a concentration in Police Leadership, from Edinburgh University, Scotland, and a Master’s Degree from Murray State University, Kentucky, USA. 

“I’m still wondering if I’m dreaming … Our police officer desire is to reach the top, and I believe if I were to say no, I would be lying. But all of us joined the department to one day head the ship. It will not be an easy journey, but with the support of the public and our stakeholders, I believe we can do a lot and make our community much safer,” said Dr. Rosado.

He continued by highlighting his strategic plan entitled, “Reforming, Refocusing and Rebuilding the Police Department.”

“We will do some restructuring, and address critical security challenges like gun violence, illicit trafficking of firearms, transnational crime, and cybercrime, which require a collaborative and multifaceted approach. Hence, I believe that through prevention, intervention, and our enforcement strategies, we will reduce gang violence. We will disrupt the illicit trafficking of firearms, and we will ensure that we address the growing threat of cybercrime and transnational crimes,” ComPol Rosado said during his first remarks to the media.