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But, the PUP say they can make a meaningful difference and in a virtual presentation that lasted almost 2 hours the party pitched platitudes and panaceas. Daniel Ortiz has the story:

Crime and violence remain one of those bedevilling problems that government administrations from the two mass parties have struggled to meaningfully address. But, the PUP thinks that it has come up with a suite of reform plans that should decrease the gun violence and bloodshed in the streets of Belize.

This part of their election manifesto is called the Safer Society and Justice Policy.

Kareem Musa - Area Rep., Caribbean Shores
"We deserve to feel safe again. We deserve to be sure that criminals will be punished, while law-abiding citizens will be free to enjoy our Belize without fear."

John Briceno - Leader of the Opposition
"The overarching goal of a People's United Party government for safety and delivering justice is to restore trust and confidence in the justice system, and to improve citizen security, so that people can feel safe, enjoy their communities, stay healthy, and care for their environment."

The party acknowledges that crime and violence are only symptoms of a more serious social decay taking place in Belize.

Kareem Musa
"When one looks at the stats, we don't have a teenaged pregnancy problem, and we don't have a street gang problem. I will even suggest that we don't have a drug and alcohol problem. Rather, these are only the symptoms that we are experiencing, and the real problem is broken homes that result in broken lives."

"You cannot fight crime without first fighting poverty. That is the issue in this country. We have a serious case, and education is, of course, the key to get out of poverty, and of course creating opportunities for young people."

And while they have their sales pitch for the never-ending fight against poverty, their proposed plans to address crime includes improvements and technological upgrades for the police department, performance and efficiency upgrades for the justice system, and the empowerment of citizens to take ownership of their safety.

Kareem Musa
"The next PUP government pledges to double the budget of the Judiciary. We will ensure that our judges are returned their independence, unshackled from the political bosses, with transparent appointments of qualified and experienced judged and magistrates. We have mapped out a retooling exercise to modernize the rules of the courts to maximize efficiency and access to justice. It is our commitment that Belizeans must get sure and faster justice. The establishment of a night court to deal with minor offenses, traffic violations, and civil suits under $1,000."

"We pledge to recharge and reboot our police department dramatically increasing its ranks to 4,000 officers. The recruitment will have as its aim, the restoration of confidence in the department through de-politicized systems grounded on adequate training, merit-based promotions, and police reform. The largesse of next-generation technology in policing will be unlocked, including the use of face-recognition camera systems, drone technology, biometrics, DNA advancements, and fully integrated computer systems to ensure the connectivity of police intelligence."

John Briceno
"A PUP government will reform and incentivize police recruiting and training, improve the effectiveness in the prosecution of crimes, and introduce the citizen's report card. Third, we will build stronger and safer communities and neighborhoods by doing the following: commit 5 million dollars a year for community and neighborhood grants, focus on creating opportunities in communities, instead of designating them as hotspots and stigmatizing residents, implement strategies to improve communication and collaboration between communities and the police. So, what should Belizeans expect from us? They can expect that we will reform the police department, improve and enhance the community policing program, establish a meaningful committee to deal with citizens' concerns, invest in a judicial complex as a part of our plan to ensure that citizens receive timely, efficient, effective adjudication."

One viewer of PUP's Facebook live-stream, who could have been a rival political operative engaging in real-time mischief, was very doubtful of the PUP's proposals. But, their leaders are confident that it will bring results.

John Briceno
"We will turn things around when we make the lives of all our people better, when we end poverty, keep our children in school, make our neighborhoods places where we uplift each other, and where we all see ourselves as one Belizean family. It is not an elusive dream."

Next week, the PUP's manifesto will focus on land-ownership.