Police Constable Nervin Locke known as Marvin was buried yesterday. The 43 year old was killed at his workplace, the Raccoon Street Police Station on Sunday March 26th. It was a crime of passion, the alleged killer told his family that Locke was threatening to take away his wife. But, when he started stabbing Locke repeatedly there wasn't one armed officer nearby to stop him - eventually they had to bash the accused man, Marcial Toledo over the head with a cement block. It shows significant lapses in what should be a secure compound at the country's second biggest police station. We discussed these with the Commissioner and the Minister today:…
Hon. Elodio Aragon - Minister of State, Home Affairs
"Definitely we have been looking at different measures, I know we have had additional cameras installed from what I've been told and they are looking at measures to be - whatever we can do to implement to avoid one of these things but we have to be real too. An incident like this was, I don't think if we had the best security we would have avoided something like this because it was not expected, we did not know the situation at hand and it is an unfortunate incident."
Reporter
"Sir but what about the fact that no officer who was present had a firearm to inhibit that individual and with the cop ending up dead."
Hon. Elodio Aragon
"Well you have to understand we are still an unarmed police department you know; this is not an armed police department. Yes officers have firearms etc. but to a large extent this police department is still an unarmed police department. The situation is what it is and definitely I know the officers that were out here did their best to try to save his life and that is at the end of the day you know the regrettable situation that we lost someone from the police department."
Reporter
"But certainly lack of financing does play a role in terms of equipping properly the police department."
Hon. Elodio Aragon
"No well we equip where we deem necessary but remember at the end of the day this is not a department like when you look at Guatemala and others in the region where every single police officer is armed, that is not the situation here in Belize."
Jules Vasquez
"But sir you all were warned, there was an internal report which advised on the security measures needed for this station. There was the incident at the Belama substation in 2011 and of course the officer who was shot in front of the Queen Street police station in 2016 by an assassin who was out to kill someone else. I'm saying these are events, the doors are still open, civilians can still enter there. Are you all heeding these warnings?"
Hon. Elodio Aragon
"Well Jules I can tell you this that definitely of course we have to look at measures you know. We are a department that is here to serve the community, we are open for the community but we have to look after our officers and I will tell you right now, the officers that are here responsible are looking at measures to look at what is best for us to use and that will be decided upon."
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