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Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the opposition
"I want to take this opportunity as well to really invite if you like, encourage the Prime Minister and I am prepared to join him. Let us go into these communities together and if we need to invite religious leaders to join us, other social leaders to join us - let us go into these communities together. Our people in these communities need reassurance that in fact the state is on their side, that in fact the state is working to try to ensure that their lives are secure and safe that their property is secure and safe. I think we've reach this point in terms of the crisis we are facing. It's very important I think for the Belizean people to see that there is national unity on this most important issue."

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Let me welcome in principle the offer of the Leader of the opposition to have us proceed to try to deal with this problem on a bipartisan basis."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the opposition
"We need to engage face to face with these communities and they have to understand in fact they are not at war with the state; that in fact the state is there to also provide for their security and protect them. We understand that in these communities there are very serious elements of crime but they are operating within communities where you have a lot of good innocent citizens and we have to make sure that when we go into these communities to tackle crime and to target the criminals which we have to do that in fact we are not saying to the entire community that we are coming after you - that you are a useless community and I sense that that is the message some of these communities are getting and it will be a very dangerous road for us to travel if these communities in fact make the determination that the state is not on their side."

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Generally we want to move a partnership with the Honorable Leader of the Opposition, with his party and with all the social partners."