BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 9, 2020– A predawn operation was conducted in the Southside of Belize City, at about 3:00 Tuesday morning that marked the beginning of the State of Emergency designated for Belize City’s Southside.

The operation concluded at about 11:30 a.m. that same Tuesday morning, and 99 gang members, including women, were rounded up. They were detained and today, 23 men and 4 women were remanded to prison for one month.

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said that the Anti-Gangs Task Force is reviewing the list of persons who were rounded up to identify persons on that list who can be released, because they are not participating in criminal activities and are currently abiding by the law and living peaceably within their community.

These persons will be given the opportunity to continue living their crime-free lives, he said.

The police are looking for more gang members, and a wanted poster has been issued for some of these individuals.

Compol Williams said that they will be found no matter in which part of the country they are hiding.

The State of Emergency was declared in the city’s Southside to combat the escalating crime being committed by gang members and to prevent further bloodshed in the wake of the deaths of two men who were shot to death last Friday and Saturday night.