How corrupt are the police in Belize? Do I need to bribe the police in Belize?

No, you do not need to bribe the police in Belize because they are too proud to do that and I don’t believe there is active corruption. First of all, there are not a lot of traffic controls here because we only have one paved road and the police are not very spread out. The only real police check point in the country is focused on drug trafficking right in between Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. We are not involved in their business and they want to keep it that way. There is...

No, you do not need to bribe the police in Belize because they are too proud to do that and I don’t believe there is active corruption. First of all, there are not a lot of traffic controls here because we only have one paved road and the police are not very spread out. The only real police check point in the country is focused on drug trafficking right in between Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. We are not involved in their business and they want to keep it that way. There is only one road, so it is very easy to check.

 

On the whole road, there are about 5 or 6 standard checkpoints that you need to pass by. If you want to get to any part of the country you always have to pass them. The police are very tourist friendly. Most of the time, when there are some white people, a bunch of kids or an elderly couple with suitcases in the car, the police are going to wave to them and say, “Hey, have a nice holiday!”

 

What they are very strict on, and there is no bribing about it, are insurance and taxes. You need to have two stickers on your car. They don’t care if you are drinking beer or if you are not wearing seat belts, or have three kids in front. There is a law in Belize that you need to have minimum insurance with third party liability and you need to pay taxes on the car. If you don’t have that and your stickers are not in order, the car is not going to move. No matter what you offer them, the car is going to stay on the side of the road.

 

As for the rest, there is no need to bribe the police because they will just leave you alone. The police do not single out people from other countries either and try to get something out of them. I had that experience in a few Asian countries and some South American countries. We were picked out at the bus because we are the white guys and they were picking at our passport and hoping to get money out of us. I have never experienced or heard about anything like that here in Belize.

The police in Belize are a little corrupt and seem lazy but they don’t make much money and they have their life on the line every day. The typical little thing that happens for example is you get into a fender bender. If the other guy is not going to have the money or insurance to fix your vehicle you might as well drive away.  If the police become involved he might say to you something like, “I know your are busy and don’t have enough time to file a claim so if...

The police in Belize are a little corrupt and seem lazy but they don’t make much money and they have their life on the line every day. The typical little thing that happens for example is you get into a fender bender. If the other guy is not going to have the money or insurance to fix your vehicle you might as well drive away.  If the police become involved he might say to you something like, “I know your are busy and don’t have enough time to file a claim so if you have US $60 (or whatever), we’ll just forget it.” Then you give them the money and everybody drives off.  I have never heard of or experienced business extortion in the 25 years I have lived here.  

 

(Police station Caye Caulker, Belize, pictured.)