TCI News

TCI Governor on the Science of COVID-19; Statement made April 1

Published

4 years ago

April 2, 2020

#TurksandCaicosIslands – FULL STATEMENT :

Good evening Turks and Caicos, it’s the Governor speaking, speaking on behalf of both myself and also the Premier. The Premier will talk on Friday about the support and stimulus package.

From me a Wednesday evening update for you. This is our fifth day of lockdown and curfew. So far so good – and the first thing to say is thank you. We are collectively doing the right thing. It’s causing, we know, inconvenience and in some cases serious hardship. Most people I speak to understand instinctively why we are doing this but we thought we would use tonight to try and describe the underpinning facts of why we are doing what we are doing.

The Science:

If you can bear it, a quick science lesson – because it’s the science that is guiding us on this. You’ll have heard lots of people describe ‘flattening the curve’. As far as I can, I want to describe to you what that means and why what we are doing does this.

All virus’s spread at different rates. There is a scientific scale of measuring infection – this isn’t random – so, for example, measles is ‘nine’ which means that we would expect one measles case to infect nine others. For Influenza the infection rate is 1.3. If the rate is ‘one’ then one person infects one other person. A figure less than ‘one’ means the disease is in decline and may die out.

COVID19 is thought to be around 2.2. Much less infectious than measles but considerably more infectious than influenza. What this means is that, on average, one infected person passes it on to 2.2 other people. As with all statistics that quote averages this means that there may be many people that only pass it on to one, and one person that passes it on to many, but as I say the global average is 2.2

You see this in the way COVID19 spreads. One person infects two, two people infect four, those four infect eight (in fact because it’s an infection rate of 2.2 it’s now starting to become more than simply doubling) so let’s say that eight cases becomes 17 and then 17 becomes 37. You get the picture, we now have a very dramatic rise as we saw in Italy and in cities such as New York. It’s out of the cage and it’s spreading and multiplying at a factor of 2.2. Not good.

The number one purpose of everything you are doing is to change the maths on this spread. What we need to do is bring this down from 2.2 to certainly under 1.5, in truth we want to get it to under one. But Below 1.5 we can start to impose ourselves on this virus and bring it under control. We have to do that because our medical services can manage a much flattened curve but they couldn’t possibly manage the sort of increase I described as it grew at 2.2

The good news is that all the medical opinion we can draw on – here in the Island, public and private, and that expertise we can draw on elsewhere, including some very eminent epidemiologists in the UK, tell us that TCI is doing all the right things to achieve this. We got ahead of it and we clamped down on it, and if we can hold the line we are going to not only get through but present an example to the world about how to do this.

Separate to this there is a secondary benefit. The better the lockdown we achieve, the more chance there will be that we generate in the population a slow-burn immunity that builds over time. These will be people who have in some way been exposed to the virus but have either had no symptoms or very mild symptoms.

It’s reasonable I think for us to assume, given how large our tourist sector was, that the virus must have been on the Islands before it was first properly identified. Some immunity will have been starting to develop.

With testing – coming in from the UK and also being procured from the US – there’s sophisticated modelling that can explain this and as we reach a tipping point we will know that. While there will continue to be cases in TCI, there will be sufficient immunity in the population to prevent its rapid spread here. We will be seeking data to make smart decisions around this.

With the Territory having developed its own immunity – with the borders still closed – we can start to restart the local economy and get money moving through and round it. Businesses will be able to open. Fear of each other will subside.

Indeed, these Islands are small enough, the measures we have all taken together restrictive enough, and the data we may be able to collect around immunity important enough, that it may well be that TCI becomes an example of how to do this – that does our brand – as an extraordinary place and a healthy place to visit – no end of good.

It also allows us to start to see a medium term future where a tourist visiting TCI who we know is safe can come to an extraordinary destination that they know is not only beautiful, but is safe. But let’s be honest with each other that’s some way off in the future although something we are working towards.

Adjustment to the Regulations

Laws can help moderate and guide behaviour but it’s by far best when a people know why they are doing something than be told to do something. Self-denial, self-discipline and good judgement are so much more powerful than say the threat of vehicle confiscation. Please, err on the side of caution. Because you can do something doesn’t mean you necessarily should do something.

We said we’d keep everything we were doing under review and we have been. Broadly we think we are in the right place. Matters that have now become clearly the way to do things – which haven’t caused enormous inconvenience but have severely cut down traffic and movement – we yesterday captured in law; so, for example, you may not drive to your place of exercise.

We have removed takeaways, drive-throughs and restaurants from being described as an essential service. From the last few days it’s clear they aren’t – we can get by until the end of this period without them, wonderful as they are.

We do it based on medical and Policing advice. With TCI Islanders and Residents being the sociable society we are, some risk becoming the equivalent of the local bar, the spot some meet and engage, and it also gives a license for movement we could not reasonably police.

This covers every form of takeaway, no exceptions. There is the possibility of the Governor granting exceptions but I think that will be unlikely over this period of lockdown unless it’s in direct support of an effort to alleviate hunger.

It’s also now clear in the law that you have to be on a route from your home to your allowed destination (a supermarket is the best example). Much of this ‘law’ wasn’t required because people were demonstrating great common sense but it is a tidying up exercise for those who might take advantage, a week or so in. Beyond that we’ve kept matters very much as they are. It’s working.

We had an interesting piece of false news start to generate today. It wasn’t malicious just wrong and it originated from a South African website – that isn’t a recognised authority on medical statistics.

To be clear, we still have only 5 (five) confirmed cases in TCI. The authoritative way to know – what our health professionals on the front line know – is the TCI dashboard that we disseminate daily and is on the MOH website. Please stick to TCI sources, we hold the data because we collect the data. We want the public to know.

This wasn’t malicious or dangerous it was just wrong. There have though been several instances on social media recently that haven’t just been wrong they’ve been dangerous. Before focussing on the tiny number who are malicious amongst us, let me say somethuing about the vast majority.

This is not the time to stifle decent debate – indeed the future of these Islands are starting to be decided during this time in terms of whether we remain safe, recover, and can once again prosper.

But what this short period is not, is an opportunity for us to stigmatise anyone who has COVID19. For all you know you may be one of the fortunate that had it, suffered few if any symptoms, but passed it on to others. Or – if we all lose control of this through our casualness – it’s very probably true that it will be someone very close to you, who you love, that ends up with this virus. It doesn’t discriminate.

If you see someone originating or spreading hate or misinformation, designed to cause fear, then there is now a Police Unit – well skilled in following leads across the internet – that you can report to. Their email is: pofscovid19@tcipolice.tc. That’s pofscovid19@tcipolice.tc

Stopping the Sloops

I’ll finish on one point I flagged yesterday on Social Media. A large sloop of many hundreds was turned around yesterday on the High Seas between here and Haiti. I was on a call today with the US Ambassador and US Coast Guard in Bahamas; the number of combined assets we have operating presently in this space has significantly increased. That frustrating battle continues every night – we should be more proud of those involved in this work tonight, than ever. But for those who can connect to Haiti do send them the message. You have our continued attention and you will be stopped.

As of tonight we are okay. We are in a much better position than many others. In terms of health, we can see a route through this, not through hope but through understanding the science, determined to capitalise by doing this once and doing this right. That’s what you are doing TCI; you are a resilient lot and resilience is the order of the day for the next few weeks. The reward is there if we stay firm; as firm we must.

Day five is drawing to a close and day six is soon to begin – soon we will be announcing the end of the first week. We can do this.

Good night TCI

Related Topics:#caribbeanhealth #coronavirus #magneticmedianews #tcigovernor #tcinews

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TCI News

Ammunition Charges

Published

11 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Shanieka

PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

Police Headquarters, Airport Road

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

Tel: 649-941-4448|Email: media@tcipolice.tc

SERVICE WITH PRIDE AND INTEGRITY

April 25th, 2024.

On Tuesday, 23rd April 2024, officers from the Criminal Investigations Department of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force charged a 31-year-old male.

TYLER SCOTT WENRICH of Virginia, USA, is charged with POSSESSION OF AMMUNITION.

Mr Wenrich appeared before a Grand Turk Magistrate yesterday (April 24th) and was remanded into custody at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pending a June 07th Sufficiency Hearing.

Based on reports, Mr. Wenrich travelled to Grand Turk on a cruise ship.

While going through a security checkpoint, it was discovered Mr Wenrich allegedly had ammunition in his possession.

Officers of the Grand Turk Police Station were called, and Mr Wenrich was arrested and subsequently charged.

Crime

Bail Granted to American Tourist without hassle; facing 12 Years for four bullets in luggage

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2024

Shanieka

Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

#TurksandCaicos, April 25, 2024 – He was busted at the Howard Hamilton Providenciales International Airport on Friday, April 16, 2024.

He allegedly had in his luggage four (4) rounds of 6.5mm ammunition on his departure to his homeland in Oklahoma in the United States of America (USA).

Ryan Watson and his wife were arrested and placed into police lock up. Both were later granted police bail, and upon return to police station the Monday after the couple’s arrest, the husband alone was charged by detective Police Constable Kimberlee Markland for unlawful possession of the four rounds of ammunition.

Watson was escorted to court on Tuesday, April 23rd, placed before the learned Chief Magistrate Mr. Jolyon Hatmin and remanded to His Majesty’s Prison until his sufficiency hearing on June 7, this (2024) year.

His counsel, Mr. Oliver Smith KC and his junior assistant Mrs. Kimone Tennant immediately sought bail for him in the Supreme Court which was heard the following day (Wednesday April 24) before her Ladyship Ms. Tanya Lobban-Jackson and was granted bail, without hassle in the amount or $15,000.00 cash or surety.

The Crown, in the person of senior public prosecutor Ms. Tassja Mitchell did not oppose bail.

Magnetic Media can report that once again on the afternoon of the Tuesday April 24th, after the accused RYAN TYLER WATSON, 41 was remanded by the Magistrate’s court, the U.S. Embassy issued an warning to it’s citizens and travelers to carefully check their bags when traveling to Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) as TCI authorities are strictly enforcing firearm and ammunition laws and if found you could go to prison for 12 years.

A real question of great concern and public importance is: should the TCI courts sentence tourists to the full mandatory minimum of 12 years imprisonment for simple possession firearm and/or ammunition.

The succinct answer is: Yes!

The Court of Appeal, just last month said in its written judgment that “ALL PERSONS,” including tourist/visitors must go to prison if found guilty or pleas guilty to firearm and ammunition offences.

However, there remains the concern about how much time in prison a judge should give a visitor regardless of the existence of exceptional circumstances.

Should the judge imprison a visitor to the territory, who may have been wrongly informed, for example, the full mandatory minimum term or must a reduced prison term be imposed.

If TCI judges start to give less than the mandatory minimum to tourists/visitors, it is being strong and widely advocated by senior defense attorneys that the same must apply to local or residents of these Islands, who may also present exceptional circumstances.

Arguments about the equity in delivery of justice is what drove the question to the Court of Appeal late in 2023. The decision came this past February.

‘We cannot find ourselves sentencing tourists regardless of exceptional circumstances to lesser sentences, and when those same exceptional circumstances are found in local cases, it’s being ignored by our judges.’

Human Rights Attorney, Sheena Mair has on more than one occasion argued this point; including in firearm and ammunition bail applications. She would put the very same judges and prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution on the spot by reminding the judges and the prosecutors that precedent has been set.

‘You’ve just granted bail to a tourist for firearm and ammunition but now here’s a local person, same charge but because he’s a local he can’t get bail? He has to be remanded pending a trial that could take years before it’s heard?’

Mair has valiantly outlined the wrong in this and clearly stated this practice is “not fair” and it’s “not proper administration of justice in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

Ms. Mair further complained that tourists would plea guilty to possession of firearm and ammunition and be released on bail pending sentencing but as for a local, he or she has to wait on remand at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pending sentencing.

The attorney criticizes the optics of such decisions and is on record reminding the Judge that the Court of Appeal has already set out that the law applies to everyone; visitors and locals alike.

A police statement issued Wednesday April 24 informs: “Today (April 24th), Mr. Watson appeared in the Supreme Court and, following a bail application, was granted $15,000 bail with the following conditions:

1) Not travel out of TCI without the court’s permission.

2) Surrender his passport and all other travel documents to the court

3) Report to Grace Bay Police Station on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 8 am-4 pm,

4) Reside at the given address in Providenciales; any address change will be provided before the court.”

The American from Oklahoma whose story is trending in the US and has been carried by leading news networks was joined by a host of loved ones at the Courthouse.

TCI News

Crime challenges are “not Insurmountable” says New Police Commissioner Dana Malcolm

Published

2 days ago

April 24, 2024

Shanieka

Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

”At this moment I can feel the enormity of responsibility bestowed on me and the weight of accountability and expectations of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) as well as members of the wider community.”

That was the acknowledgment from Edvin Martin, new Commissioner of Police as he was sworn into his role as head of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) on Monday, April 22.

“I also feel an unprecedented opportunity and a distinguished privilege to serve by leading the Police Force into an era of modern policing,” he maintained.

A well-trained force that is averse to corruption and maintains the trust of the people is what Martin promised in the address that spoke to the Police, the residents and the criminals.

Not only does the Commissioner say he understands the gravity of his role and the lofty expectations to reverse high crime which he described as a ‘tremendous mandate’, he maintains he has a good grasp of the issues plaguing the country.

To the residents, Martin called on them and all stakeholders to form an anti-crime coalition with an all-hands-on-deck approach.

“There should be no bystanders in addressing the carnage in our communities,” he said.

Even as Martin listed the threats of immigration, terrorism, cybercrime, transnational organized criminal activity, and the associated gang violence, illegal firearms and drug trading, he assured:

”I urge you listening to me today, do not despair, for while these threats may be challenging, they are not insurmountable.”

The process for tackling them will need a tightened-up RTCIPF, according to the commissioner, one that is focused, well trained and adequately resourced.

For Martin this means the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) must retool, restructure and reengineer its responses.

In this vein the top cop spoke directly to officers during his address, maintaining that the public deserves an accountable Police Force.

“As a service organization there will be allegations that cause the public to question our integrity; we must seek out and purge the organization of any semblance of bias, corruption and malfeasance,” he said.

Martin maintained the top brass now has a mandate to work to ensure fairness in work and promotions.

“Anything less than this will be an injustice— we must do everything possible to inspire confidence in our force and improve our legitimacy as gatekeepers of law and order,” said the new Commissioner.

As part of the crime fighting plan several immediate actions are to be taken:

The immediate and aggressive addressing of the spate violent crimes
Collaborating with stakeholders to address safety challenges in the tourism industry
Redefining the Police Force image to become the pride of the TCI
Greater technological innovation
Restructure the force to better align with contemporaries
Frequent Town Hall meetings
Increased safety at police stations.

Martin had words for the mayhem causers and their ‘glaring disregard for human life and safety’ too.

”Under my watch I can assure you that the RTCIPF will not sit idly by and observe this unrelenting rampage and havoc. Today I call on you to put down your weapons of destruction and change your criminal ways,” he said.

Martin, who recently retired as Grenadian PC is credited with being lead of his home force for five years, serving a total 37 years before bowing out and moving on to head the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit.

Only months into that CARICOM job, Edvin Martin was approved and announced as police commissioner designate for the Turks and Caicos Islands, succeeding Trevor Botting.

“My first order of business ladies and gentlemen, this morning, is to give a special thanks to God, as He directs my path in every single thing that I do. I am grateful for His blessings and His guidance,” started Mr Martin when delivering his inaugural remarks at the outdoor ceremony.

The acknowledgment of God was a distinctive moment that many are hoping will auger well for the mission of newly installed policing leader for the TCI. Soon after his bold remarks, Martin, with his wife looking on from the audience took the oath of office and oath of allegiance in a live streamed event.

Also giving remarks at the swearing-in ceremony staged at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex were Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, TCI Governor and Washington Misick, TCI Premier.