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Media Release from the Commissioner of Police

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As Commissioner of Police it is my sworn duty to lead the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Service and to uphold the law and protect life and property. Anyone who doubts my resolve and determination in this regard has never met me.

Emotions are running high in the country for a variety of reasons and my officers, staff and I are using all the resources available to us to keep people safe and bring offenders to justice. In doing so I have enlisted assistance from colleagues in other overseas territories and partner agencies to provide technical support, ensured that the latest forensic techniques are used to help solve serious crime and gained the expert support of officers from the United Kingdom on short term appointments.

At all times I operate within the limits of the criminal law and the Ordinances of Turks and Caicos when I seek to enlist help or acquire new equipment. I operate within the budget limit set by Government and seek to get the best value for Turks and Caicos. It is for that reason that I recommended to Government that we should continue to work with partners to install CCTV in the country and utilise our limited resources to purchase other much need equipment and support. I am grateful that the Premier now considering allocating additional funding for this important crime prevention and investigation aid. It will of course require to be underpinned by an appropriate Data Protection Ordinance to ensure the privacy of citizens and make evidence admissible in any court proceedings.

Through dedication and hard work my officers and seconded colleagues are arresting criminals and providing quality evidence to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Most recently this has resulted in one person being sent to trial for a murder in North Caicos and six persons arrested and charged in respect of a murder at the end of 2014. One more person is sought for this crime and we actively seek to arrest him. Officers have also recently charged a number of offenders for robberies and burglaries. In terms of the most recent murders we are following very positive lines of enquiry, as well as technical help we have received significant assistance from members of the public and together I hope we can bring more offenders to justice.

Last year I recommended the formation of a National Security Council to tackle the major issues facing the country. That body is in place, we will meet again soon to agree some practical measures to impact on crime and the causes of crime. I would however emphasize that the police service alone, cannot be held responsible for all of the ills that currently befall any society. We are a “can do” organization, but we cannot do everything. The support of our partners in law enforcement is vital to us but I know that they too need extra support in their challenging roles.

Keeping our borders secure is crucial, biometric information and the ability to easily take DNA samples will enhance our capabilities to solve crime and identify perpetrators, updated criminal evidence legislation, a change to the way we manage our roads, vehicles and driving licenses, along with a number of other legislative improvements that I have already discussed with government, should combine to significantly improve safety and security.

From the outset of my tenure I identified the need for a proper Police Headquarters which is a critical building block to enable sustained improvement. A purpose built facility will enable us to do many things much more effectively, such as; provide command and control facilities for all routine and emergency situations;

provide a safe environment for the victims and witnesses of crime; securely keep persons in custody and comply with international law; provide interview facilities ensuring high quality evidence to courts, give officers and staff adequate working space to carry out their daily duties and feel valued in the community, amongst many others. I recognize the funding constraints for Government, but hope that this facility will materialise in due course, possibly with private sector funding involvement.

The father of modern day policing, Sir Robert Peel, set basic tenets for us to live up to as police officers and they are as relevant today as they were then. Paramount amongst them is that “The police are the public and the public are the police”. My officers are part of the community, they have the same concerns as you all do and the same desire and determination to make a difference. By working together we can change the paradigm and take the fight to the men of violence in our society and those who would harm our family, friends and beautiful by nature Turks and Caicos Islands.

 

James Smith

Commissioner of Police

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Caribbean News

Guyana to build regional food hub

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

#Guyana, September 29, 2023 – Guyana is making moves to become the primary food production center for the Caribbean, going ahead with plans to develop a USD$14 million regional food hub.

In fact, as reported by the Observer, the facility has already been identified on the country’s Soesdyke /Linden Highway.

Guyana seems to really want this to become a reality and Zulfikar Mustapha, Agriculture Minister, expressed this, highlighting what Guyana has over its Caribbean sister Islands.

“We want Guyana to be the food hub, the primary production hub of the Caribbean so that we could supply the Caribbean.  What we have, our colleagues in the Caribbean don’t have.  We have arable flat land and abundant fresh water,” he said, adding that with the multi-million dollar US investment, the country can, “modernise the infrastructure, and start ramping up the productions.”

Also, the Agriculture Minister pointed out that the project is geared to make for a more competitive local Agriculture industry as well as developing high-yielding varieties, pest-resistant and climate-resilient varieties.

Additionally, in the facility’s development, Guyana, Mustapha said, will work with Belize.

In fact, with more on Belize’s involvement, Dr. Ashni Singh,  Finance Minister, informed that the Government is in talks with the Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley about sourcing inputs from northern Brazil and transporting them through Guyana to Barbados and vice versa.

Singh also reportedly revealed that the project will help develop the growing logistics industry in Guyana.

Considering regional food import cost, with this development, Guyana is the leading Caribbean Community country pushing ahead with plans to reduce the multi-billion dollar regional food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, the Observer says.

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Cayman makes striking policy change to include more blood donors

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

#CaymanIslands, September 29, 2023 – The Cayman Islands overturned a policy that banned blood donation from people who visited the island from or resided in countries where “mad cow disease” existed. This was revealed by Sabrina Turner, Health Minister in Parliament, as reported by CNW Network.

People who resided in Britain from 1980 to 2001 and those who had blood transfusions in the UK after 1980, can now donate blood.

Due to recent risk evaluation, and the current protocol for blood donors, many nations, CNW reports, have re-evaluated and adjusted similar guidelines regarding blood donation, as Cayman Islands has now done.

The now initial restrictions on blood donations for the country was called for and was important as at the time of implementation, “mad cow disease” or as it’s scientifically called, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), was at-large affecting not just cows, but also people, who are able to contract “a version of BSE called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD),” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says.

The likely reason for the Cayman Islands’ targeted population of those affiliated with living in the UK or getting blood transfusion in the UK, was because most of the people with vCJD lived in the UK, as highlighted by the FDA.

Also, as BBC says in a 2018 report, 1 in 2000 people in the UK is thought to be a carrier of the disease, even though some who are carriers don’t go on to develop symptoms.

However, the change in Cayman Islands’ policy does not mean the disease is no longer out there.

In fact the FDA said, “as of 2019, 232 people worldwide are known to have become sick with vCJD, and unfortunately, they all have died.  It is thought that they got the disease from eating food made from cows sick with BSE. Most of the people who have become sick with vCJD lived in the United Kingdom at some point in their lives. Only four lived in the U.S., and most likely, these four people became infected when they were living or traveling overseas.”

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Caribbean News

Bwa Kalé movement striking back against gangs, nearly 3,000 murdered

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Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer 

 

#Haiti, September 29, 2023 – In eight months, nearly 3,000 Haitian people have been slaughtered in their home country due to the upsurge and uprising of gangs in the republic which is struggling to hold its democracy in check.

‘Bwa Kalé’, it’s a vigilante movement that has sprung up in Haiti, and the UN says it is driving up murders.

Born out of fear and distrust in the state according to the UN, the movement is a violent strike back against the gangs that are terrorizing residents.

A recent report following an expert visit detailed it.

“Certain groups have formed allegedly to protect their neighbourhoods from gangs.  In some instances, these groups have summarily executed people suspected of being gang members.  The Bwa Kalé movement demonstrates the population’s lack of trust in the State, especially in the police and the courts.  The expert has learned that some members of the police and the judiciary have been complicit with gangs.”

Despite the obvious fear among residents, the UN is warning them not to take justice into their own hands.  However, that is easier said than done as Haitians have demonstrated their feelings of abandonment by fleeing the island in mass numbers on illegal voyages and standing up to the gangs themselves.

In the same report, one said: “The State is absent, there are no police or other officials operating there.”

According to AP, a new report to the U.N. Security Council indicated that 2,728 intentional killings were recorded between October 2022 and June 2023, including 247 women, 58 boys, and 20 girls.  Bwa Kalé is blamed partially for the increase, as life in the country is described as unbearable.

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