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By: Hon. Edwin A. Astwood
Leader/PDM
Leader of the Opposition
Drugs?? Lights?? Gun Amnesty??
#TurksandCaicos, September 6, 2022 – Like many concerned citizens, I listened to the Premier’s Press Conference on Monday evening. I wanted to hear about firm, decisive, calculated measures that will immediately take place in the community of Five Cays, and then wanted to hear the general crime fighting/prevention plan, of the Premier and his team, for the entire country.
We heard Premiere Misick and his team, in no exact words, tell the vast majority of responsible, hardworking residents of Five Cays, ‘You’re on your own.’
I heard nothing that would make the residents of Five Cays feel safer in their homes this night, nor in the coming nights. Additionally, I heard nothing that would make our people in Five Cays feel safer during the daytime. This is unacceptable to the people, they needed to hear about containment and preventative measures that will be put into action immediately.
Instead, we heard the Honourable Premier saying much about drugs being the cause of the violence in these communities, really drugs Mr. Premier?
We heard the Premier and Minister of Education talking about putting in 20 more streetlights and cutting back bushes. Is that the best the Premier and his team can come up with? Do they know that many incidents of crime happen in the daylight, and in places where there are little to no bushes? Lights are needed, and bushes need to be cut back, but these could NOT be the answers given in a press conference, after one of the deadliest weekends in our country’s history.
We also heard the Hon. Premier and his team talk about another gun amnesty. How successful has that been in the past in preventing violent crimes? Don’t they know that persons who give up guns are usually individuals who have no intentions of committing a crime? It appears that they are clueless when it comes to these matters.
No self-proclaimed criminal would give up all their weapons, and let their so-called enemies or competitors have all the firepower. That does not make any sense to me, and I don’t think it would make any sense to them, and we should never underestimate those individuals who engage in criminal activities.
The Hon. Premier and his team cannot, and will not be offering the people of Five Cays, and the rest of the country a real answer to their questions. They won’t offer a better vision or a new set of ideas. To date, the country does not know anything about the current PNP administration’s Crime Prevention Plan. Do they have one?
Under my leadership and a PDM government, we will be committed to properly dealing with crime in the Turks and
Caicos Islands. We also stand ready to help or lead the way for this failing PNP administration on this crime issue now.
A PDM government, under my leadership, would have requested immediately having tactical forces patrolling the streets of five cays all day and night until the problem is eradicated.
A PDM government, under my leadership, would immediately pass a Supplementary Bill through the House of Assembly for 15 million dollars to:
A PDM government, under my leadership, will act swiftly in amending legislation to;
A PDM government, under my leadership, is committed to acting quickly in immediately dealing with some of the root causes of crime, in particular, unemployment and lack of opportunities;
I call upon Premier Misick and his government to immediately bring a supplementary bill of $10 -15 million to the House of Assembly for crime detection /prevention:
I would recommend using it for immediately hiring capable past local police officers, bringing in seasoned gang violence tactical officers from around the region and elsewhere- and offering them a very attractive compensation package with the desired protections. I also recommend using the appropriated funds used for the Purchasing of 6 mobile police stations for Providenciales, 3 additional patrol boats, 2 armored combat vehicles armed with a heavy machine gun, and an advanced drone surveillance system.
The PDM wants our country to succeed. We want our people, visitors, and investors to feel and be safe. We want this PNP government to understand that the true measure of our prosperity is more than just a running tally of every budget sheet and annual surplus reports. It is about the happiness and level of success of our people.
We the PDM see the measure of prosperity NOT just by our total GDP, but by how well the typical family is doing, and whether they can go as far as their dreams and hard work will take them.
I don’t care how many ways you try to explain it: People are not living their best lives. Private Jets, condos, and real estate sales are not people. People are people. And our people are now further away from living their best lives, and are now afraid to live in their own homes and their communities.
Act now or get the H*** out the way.
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Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, September 7, 2022 – The People’s Democratic Movement is describing the ongoing violence carried out by and against young men in the Turks and Caicos as a National Crisis and is calling for another gun amnesty and gun buyback scheme.
Party Chairman, Ezra Taylor in a statement on Sunday, after the second double murder of the weekend, extended his condolences to the affected families and maintained the violence was becoming much too frequent.
“Unfortunately, this most recent act of gun violence among our young men is becoming commonplace in our society, whilst peace and safety among our residents become a fleeting illusion,” he said
Taylor queried the Government’s strategy to keep citizens safe, and keep youth from inflicting what he described as ‘irreparable damage to the future of this country and themselves’
He described rampant the use of firearms in the nation as ‘beyond alarming’.
“We must find a way to remove these illegal firearms from our streets, and out of the hands of those who have no consideration for the value of life. Whilst petty rivalries among some of our youth, who should be factors of production in our society, must not be the reason for us losing our reputation on the global stage as a safe destination, and peaceful country for residents.” He maintained.
Taylor criticized the government for not keeping its campaign promise to ‘eviscerate crime throughout The Turks and Caicos Islands.’
“Those campaign promises now fall void and families grieve, and there seem to be no real solutions from this administration.” he claimed.
The opposition member says, he thinks the police need another amnesty to get illegal guns off the street.
“Undoubtedly, we need to consider a no-questions-asked gun buy-back scheme alongside a publicized amnesty (28-30 days) for the surrender of illicit firearms, the genuine concern for public safety compels us to act, we must improve our border surveillance to disrupt the illicit trade of firearms and consider the introduction of a Firearms Task Force within our primary border protection department.” he said.
Residents with illegal guns in the Turks and Caicos have shown no inclination to give them up, their reluctance marked by the failure of the most recent amnesty to recover any significant amounts.
Taylor also called on the people of the Turks and Caicos to do their part in helping the police put these murderers behind bars.
“I must also emphatically state that we as a collective must find it in our conscience, if we witness or are privy to information regarding any criminal activity, primarily gun violence, that we share that information with the authorities to assist with alleviating and solving these heinous acts, do not wait until it personally affects you, or your loved ones. I will also plead with those who may possess illegal firearms, that you surrender them and choose to have peace within your communities.”
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#TurksandCaicos, September 7, 2022 – The last five days has seen a deliberate disregard for the rule of law and life on Providenciales, predominantly in Five Cays but also in other communities that has left a trail of tragedy and heartache in a manner that is unacceptable in the Turks and Caicos Islands. This heinous acts has been perpetrated by young men, men who have carried out cowardly attacks for reasons that are hard to understand and completely unacceptable.
This violence has led to the deaths of four people and a number of others who have been hospitalized with serious
injuries. All of the incidents involved firearms and all of the deceased suffered gunshot injuries.
Overnight from Friday 2nd September into the 3rd, two persons, Keno Taylor and Assam Astwood were shot and killed and Five Cays and two others were hospitalized with gunshot injuries.
Early Sunday morning, the 4th September, two persons were attacked, again in Five Cays and died from gunshot injuries. I am naming them as Stuart Harris and Tamia Simmons.
These attacks were targeted against specific individuals but it is clear that the gunmen were indiscriminate in the way they carried out the violent and abhorrent attacks.
In these instances, this violent criminal is driven by young men, formed into gangs, where violence spirals out of control through a cycle of retribution and revenge against groups and is further fueled by the importation and distribution of drugs and wider criminal activity. This level of criminality cannot be and won’t be tolerated and the Force will remain resolute in tackling this organized crime.
We know that the community of Five Cays is fearful, but I want to reassure you that we are doing all we can to take these criminals off the streets of the Turks and Caicos Islands and stop the cycle of shootings and death. Additional officers are being deployed into Five Cays across the 24-hour period, both to reassure the community and to track down the violent criminal elements that are blighting lives and causing misery to so many. You may not see all the policing activity that is being undertaken, but please be reassured that we are working hard for you in tackling this problem. We are also deploying all legal measures to deal with the people behind this violence, including covert policing tactics.
As always, we need your help, if you know anything, no matter how small tell us. I do acknowledge that there are concerns about giving information to Police Officers and I understand the hesitancy. However, we now have a dedicated team of trained officers who will work discreetly with people who want to provide information. They work separately from the force and will deal with your information discreetly and professionally. I will be sending out a dedicated number to contact the team but, in the meantime, please free to contact me directly and I will assist. We have made this change as we know how difficult it is to provide information so, please trust me when I tell you that your identity and what you have to say will remain confidential.
Alternatively, you can still call crime-stoppers, you won’t need to leave your name and we won’t know who called but we will get the information you provide.
In broader terms, I have spoken many times about the societal issues that sit behind serious crime. The Force is working alongside the Government and National Security Team to better understand the causes of crime and start to deal with the deeper societal and community issues as well as building the Capability and Capacity of the Force.
The Force is working with the Hon Taylor and the relevant Ministry to improve lighting within Five Cays to enhance the feel of communities in terms of safety and security.
The Force is also working in partnership with the Government and the Attorney General’s Chambers to consider legislation that will allow policing to better deal with violent criminals and increase the sentences for serious crimes when convicted.
Such enhancements support the Police in dealing with criminals and play a part in making people feel safer within their communities.
I am grateful for the financial support of the government to allow is to do this. We are recruiting a number of officers from the TCI and overseas to bolster our numbers, we are enhancing our intelligence and covert policing capability, driving forward with our plans for community policing and investing in our investigative capability, both in terms of investigators and technical support. I am also grateful to the UK Government in providing support to policing on the TCI in a number of ways to enhance our capability and capacity and more support is coming in the near future.
I wanted you, our community, to know that we are moving forward in our ability to fight crime, so again, I want to reassure you that the Officers and staff are working hard to prevent and detect crime. For example, in 2022, of guns have been removed from the streets of the TCI and the persons in possession of those weapons have been arrested and charged. We will continue this work, overtly and covert to rid the streets of guns and stop these violent criminals from causing harm to our communities.
Knowing the level of dangerous work undertaken by my officers, I want to thank them for the work they do day and night in protecting their communities. I wish to salute their courage, persistence and determination.
As I close, if you choose to threaten a Police Officer with a firearm you are making a choice and that will have a consequence. My officers legally empowered to protect themselves and law abiding citizen’s others from armed criminality and they will do so if threatened. Let me be clear, if you threaten the life of an officer, you will face lethal force to protect themselves. Do not to make a bad decision.
To the young men involved in these crimes I say this; ‘Find another way to live your lives rather than through violence and guns. I am appealing to you directly; stop the cycle of violence, a cycle that makes you more likely to die a violent death, a cycle that will ultimately result in you spending most of your life in prison and a cycle that is causing death and lifelong grief to others. I am also appealing to those who are close to these young men, parents, siblings, friends, I am asking you to plead with them to stop the violence and take a different path before they too end up being shot and killed in the very cycle of violence they are perpetuating. No good ever comes from the life they are living.’
Finally, four people have lost their lives and our condolences, thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have died in the recent attacks and to those who have been injured. Make no mistake, as a Force we committed to keeping our communities safe and we remain focused, steadfast and relentless in hunting down the criminals who are causing so much misery to our communities.
Thank you, and may God bless you and the beautiful by nature Turks and Caicos Islands.
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#TurksandCaicos, September 7, 2022 – The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is happy to announce the arrival of one H145 helicopter from the Cayman Islands.
The state of the art helicopter, arrived today (September 07th,2022) and will provide the much needed aerial support for the RTCIPF that is crucial in the fight against the recent upsurge in firearm related offences.
Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting who was present at the helipad said: “I would like to thank my counterparts in the Cayman Islands for the assistance rendered, it is greatly appreciated. The acquisition of this sophiscated crime fighting helicopter will see a coordinated effort on both land and sea and will augment the force’s capacity to enhance public safety and heighten awareness within communities .
“This helicopter has added a substantial capability to the Force’s security arsenal, and will enhance our ability to safeguard the communities and its citizens from the air, alongside our officers on the ground and sea ”.
Additionally, Commissioner Botting wishes to remind the public of their moral and duty and report any illegal activity taking place. Anyone with information about crimes can call 911 or Crime Stoppers privately at 1-800-8477 (TIPS.) Information provided will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
All Crime Stoppers calls are answered by Miami Dade Police and no one from the RTCIPF will know who called.
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