7 News Belize

Booth Camp Getting Community Support
posted (August 15, 2014)
We also asked Broaster about the programme the police have initiated to engage at risk teenaged males from Belize City who are being recruited by gangs. He says the community has been responding to it:..

Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster, Deputy Commander - Eastern Division
"This effort has been taking significant traction Jules. We have mothers calling in every day regarding their children that are 14 - 15 that are uncontrollable and are involved in gang activities and they know this and they want their sons to be put into a discipline facility that will help them to not to recruited by the gangs and it is these days the gangs are using more and more younger persons to do their criminal activity. We want to encourage individuals who know the problem that exist on the street - know that their sons are being targeted by the gangs - know that their sons are involve in the gangs and know that their sons are vulnerable to recruited by the gangs."

Jules Vasquez
"What will happen to my son once I put him in your charge?"

Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster
"You son would be taken to camp Belizario where this program is housed. There are different program activity as it pertains to anger management, conflict mediation, behavioral modification and other programs that teaches them discipline as well as the sporting activity that they have that also teaches them discipline."

The programme runs for four to six weeks depending on whether the youths are in school. And if you're wondering why gangs recruit young males, we can assure you, it's not just to boost membership numbers! Broaster explains that young recruits have no police history:..

Jules Vasquez
"Why is it advantageous to have these young persons as the chosen instruments of execution or death?"

Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster, Deputy Commander - Eastern Division
"It's simply for the fact that the older gang members who are well known to the police are being stop and search and are being targeted, so if they can recruit someone that the police don't know and get them to execute a mission for them then more than likely that young person would accomplish that mission."

Police suspect that the shooter in the execution of Ernest Meighan may have been a minor.

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