BELIZE CITY, Mon. Oct. 4, 2021– Last Friday, while speaking to local media, the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, said that members of the various gangs which have recently made the public aware of their supposed ceasefire agreements must surrender their guns as a show of good faith. The COMPOL went on to say that his department needs some tangible indication that the declared truce is something of substance — that there is a real commitment on the part of gang members to refrain from gunplay.

“I don’t know if there is any truce. Like I said, I’m not buying any truce. Until I can see something tangible coming from them, that they really and truly want this to end and they want to peace,” Commissioner Williams said.

He said that more will be required than the tentative armistice hashed out by rival factions during their 30-day lockdown.

“I’m not going to say that there is any truce. If it is that they are serious about making peace and trying to live among us like ordinary human beings, then there certainly is no need for no guns. They can surrender the weapons as a sign that they are serious about what they are saying. It cannot be that they speak peace and still maintain their tools of [the] trade.” COMPOL Williams pointed out.

At this time, three truces are in effect: warring groups like the Banak and Mayflower gangs, the Back-a-Land Crips and PIV, and most recently the Supal Street and SSG gangs have made a public declaration that they have agreed to a ceasefire, following the pointless killing of Dwayne Gabourel.

These 6 groups are now being asked by the Commissioner of Police to go a step further and hand up the guns that are in their possession. This suggests that yet another gun amnesty program might be forthcoming if these rival groups agree that a ceasefire cannot truly occur if the weapons are still on the street.