General rules of engagement

(1) Every member of the Belize Defence Force shall always endeavour to promote a cordial relationship with a civilian, and shall, in particular– (a) always approach a civilian humanely and respectfully; (b) speak kindly and friendly but firmly to civilians in their language where possible, (in the case of patrols, a soldier who is a Ketchi, Spanish and Maya linguist must accompany all such patrols); (c) explain cordially the reason for contact with the civilian; (d) not maintain contact for more than 10 to 15 minutes with a civilian while on patrol; (contact longer than this is a task for the intelligence service); Defence 201 (e) not harbor less than 1 kilometre from the outskirts of a civilian habitation; (f) not become too friendly with civilians encountered while on duty; (g) not accept invitations for meals or other favours from civilians while on duty (such conduct causes familiarity and leads to a relaxation of patrol security); (h) purchase only military necessities from community shops (a member of the Belize Defence Force shall always be prepared to prevent this possibility); (i) protect all civilians from ill-treatment; (j) respect all civilian property and refrain from stealing and damaging such property; (k) if unsure of the status of a person, treat that person as a civilian; (l) not search a civilian unless the civilian is reasonably suspected of carrying a firearm and a law enforcement officer is not available; (m) treat journalists as civilians; (n) when encountering an aggressive or provocative civilian, warn the civilian of the possible results of his actions; (o) further to the warning referred to in paragraph (n), always attempt to disarm or disable the aggressive or provocative civilian if possible; 202 Defence (p) not fire warning shots over the heads of civilians (the civilians may conclude that they were under attack, and they may respond in kind); (q) ensure that the force used to respond to a threat is proportional to the threat (a member of the Belize Defence Force shall not fire at hostile civilians unless the threat of loss of life or serious injury is imminent); (r) fire observed warning shots in a safe area and direction, but not above the heads of civilians, when the threat of loss of life or serious injury is imminent; (s) if time and space permits, use other means of engaging an aggressive civilian other than by lethal means; (t) make weapons ready when ordered by his patrol commander, and when – (i) there is a likelihood of encountering hostile civilians in his area of operation; (ii) the threat of being ambushed is high; (iii) approaching marijuana fields or places conducive to aircraft landings; (iv) previous hostile acts have been committed against patrols in the past in the area of operation and such acts are likely to re-occur; (u) carry non-lethal weapons (FRGs) on patrol in addition to his rifle and use such non-lethal Defence 203 weapons to engage an aggressive civilian where possible; (v) avoid attacking hostile civilians armed with sticks, knives, spear guns, and machetes, with lethal force unless the loss of life or serious injury is imminent. (w) fire aimed shots at the centre of a target– (i) only after warning shots have been ignored and there are no other means of preventing loss of life or serious injury; (ii) to prevent a person from throwing a bomb or incendiary device at a building containing people or into a crowd, or at any instance where such action may kill or seriously injure the member of the Belize Defence Force, a member of his unit, or civilians; (iii) when a person has killed or seriously injured a soldier or civilian and does not halt when called upon to do so by the officer in command and there are no other means of effecting a lawful arrest, or when the person tries to escape after been lawfully arrested; (x) avoid taking reprisals against civilians, if a member of his patrol suffers injury as a result of the actions of a civilian (a member of the Belize Defence Force shall make all efforts to detain the suspect and turn him over to the Belize Police Department, and shall not fire at a fleeing suspect); 204 Defence (y) always be prepared to act in self-defence to protect life and prevent serious injuries; (z) use the least force possible (minimum force) necessary to accomplish a mission. (2) Paragraphs (a) to (m) of subregulation (1) apply to the rules of engagement to be observed by soldiers encountering civilians, and for the purpose of these regulations, they shall be referred to as “Orders for Encountering Civilians”, and paragraphs (n) to (z) of subregulation (1) apply to rules to be observed by soldiers when opening fire, and for the purpose of these Regulations they shall be referred to as “Orders for Opening Fire”.