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Letter to the Editor, from former TCI Deputy Police Commissioner

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Turks and Caicos, June 26, 2017 –

Ms. Hamilton

I think that you are doing  a great job covering the crime situation in the TCI as always.   It is however, unfortunate and must be  disappointing to the people of TCI that the two Commissioners who succeed Mr Hall as Commissioner cannot find an answer to tackle the  violent crime situation in TCI.   Based on recent events anyone with common sense will come to the conclusion that Mr Hall and his management team was doing their best with the limited resources they had to get the job done.

The facts are policing an archipelago will always have its challenges for all Commissioners local or from the UK or Canada.  The truth is the police force is asked to do more with less resources and the lack of funds to provide the necessary training for the 20% committed officers who do all the work.   I was once told by a former British senior police officer that he cannot come to Turks and Caicos Island and tell the local police how to police the Turks and Caicos islands because of his lack of local knowledge.   In addition one of them admitted to me that the first time he saw a kilo of cocaine is when he came to TCI in charge of the criminal investigation drug squad.   Policing an archipelago like Turks and Caicos  requires a Command team with good local knowledge of the environment, national culture and subcultures of the different island and families, and good human investigation management training and skills .   It call for a great deal of knowledge on how to police the air, land and sea in order to control gun crime in particular.

There is a lot of talk about that the public is not providing the local police with information to assist in  the prevention and detection of crimes.   That is so because the police don’t have  a good relationship with the public.   When it comes to relationships everything starts with self respect  and respect for others.   Are the officers who are charged with the responsibility to prevent and detect crimes conducting themselves in a respectable manner when dealing with members of the public in order to gain their respect.   Respect will lead to shared values to improve public confidence in the force.   Shared values will lead to trust.   Without trust no one will speak to the police in confidence.   In order to prevent and detect crime the level of trust within the ranks of the force must be high as well.   I’m not convinced if that is the case within the RTCIPF at the moment.

From the media reports it seems that violent crimes continues to be a great concern for residents and the public confidence in the police to deal with such crimes is low.

My approach to such a situation would be to divide crimes in the following four categories: exploitive crimes, mutualistic crimes, competitive crimes and individual crimes.   Exploitive crimes are predatory crimes in which the offender injure or kill a person or seize or damage another’s property.   They are crimes such as murder, rape, robbery burglary and aggravated burglary etc.   Exploitive crimes should take priority; therefore more resources to be deployed to prevent such crimes.   Competitive crimes where two people or groups act in the same capacity involve physical conflict against each other, such as gang crimes.   More training and resources need to be directed in this type of crime and equally important as exploitive crimes because such crimes involved murder and serious injury as well.

Mutualistic crimes where two people are groups engage in complementary crimes such as drug transactions, human smuggling/trafficking etc.   To prevent this types of crime requires real time intelligence and good coordination locally, regionally and internationally.   I agree that every effort must be made to prevent this type of crime but in most cases if successful it does not have an impact in terms of fear and emotional stress on  residence like exploitive and competitive crimes.   Individualistic crimes are crimes committed by an individual  such as drug use and abuse.   Such crimes could be considered victimless crimes if the drugs are used for recreational purpose and not as a motive to commit other serious crimes.   A lot of police resources is used chasing and arresting persons for a joint for personal use.   I am not suggesting that such crime should not be policed  but instead suggesting that more time and resources should be allocated to exploitive and competitive crimes.

The truth is the offenders who commit such crimes are motivated and most likely have performed the hedonistic calculus of weighing the risks and rewards.   They most likely select the targets where they believe the rewards are high and the risk of getting caught in the act of committing is low because of in effective policing methods and poor deployment of resources.   The criminals seem to be on step ahead of the police in terms of planning and targeting their victims..   I’m sure there is enough data in the intelligence system to direct the Command of the force to develop a crime prevention and reduction plan that is ninety to ninety five percent preventative and five to ten percent investigative and punitive action.   In other word the focus should be on prevention by being proactive and not investigative and reactive policing.   When prevention fails you end up with the two most expensive aspects of policing investigation and prosecution if the offenders are caught.

The crimes are committed by persons on the streets who are street smart with good local knowledge of the environment and culture they are operating in.   Likewise you need street police officers of all ranks to deal with the present situation.   The information is on the streets and not in the wine bars in Grace Bay, therefore you need officers with the ability to communicate effectively with the guys on the streets without creating a us and them environment that eventually lead to hostility towards the police.

I thought I should share my views with you after reading about the most recent events in Grace Bay.   I called for you today to have a chat but you did not answer so I decided to email you my thoughts on the situation.

Regards

Hubert M Hughes

Former Deputy Commissioner

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Caribbean News

Wal Registre’s Impressive Rise at BTC

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PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: When Wal Registre started his career at Beaches Turks and Caicos (BTC) on October 25, 1997 as a bartender, little did he know that 25 years after, he would have risen to the post of payroll administrator within the same organisation.

The Raymond Gardiner High School graduate was always good at accounting and mathematics and had the dream of excelling in the hospitality industry in an area that would best fit his passion and academic strength.

Having been promoted to bar supervisor in 1999, Wal’s vision for growth was still active as he recognised that being a team member at Beaches Turks and Caicos would allow him to excel beyond his comfort zone. Following the completion of a number of courses with the Sandals Corporate University (SCU), he transitioned to the Cost Control unit in the Accounting Department as the cost control clerk.

Wal pointed out that his ability to grow within the company was largely due to his commitment to excellence. The SCU courses that were offered gave him the added training needed to build on what he was able to learn on the job and from his mentors.

“At BTC, training is very important to each employee. There are many opportunities for professional development and with the guidance from the Learning and Development team, and the leaders within the company, team members can truly grow,” Registre added.

One of Wal’s colleagues, Janet King, noted, “Wal’s commitment serves as an example to every team member here. His ability to grow from an entry level position to where he is now shows that everyone can succeed once they put their minds to it.”

While expressing his commitment to his profession, Wal’s dedication and discipline are traits that he values and chooses to pass on to those he leads. In sharing his advice to younger professionals seeking to enter the industry, he noted, “this organisation believes in quality work life balance that will allow each team member valuable time with family. This period helps me to maintain a bond with my family and explore the world. Training within this company is available for everyone and the ability to grow professionally is dependent on each person having the right attitude to grow.”

 

Release: BTC

Photo Captions

Header:Wal Registre, Payroll Administrator at Beaches Turks and Caicos makes final checks as he goes through documents at his desk at the resort

Insert: Anna Francis, Accountant in the Finance department at Beaches Turks and Caicos and Wal Registre, Payroll Administrator at the resort pause from discussing work related items to smile for the camera

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Caribbean News

Special Needs Unit Students at Thelma Lightbourne Primary School recognised by BTC

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PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands –  Parents and students from the Special Education Unit at the Thelma Lightbourne Primary School were recently recognized by the Beaches Turks and Caicos team during a special session at the institution as part of autism awareness activities.

Children’s Activities Manager Fedeline Julien shared, “educating students, parents, teachers and other adults about the best practices of dealing with children with autism is needed especially in our homes and schools. Children who are autistic do things differently and should be treated with patience and care.”

Robin Cox Foster, principal of the school said, “the partnership between Beaches Turks and Caicos and our school is always welcome. As the only resort on island that is an autism certified centre, they were readily available to share with our students and their parents. The involvement of the Sesame Street character, the presentations from the Kids Camp team to the parents allowed those present to appreciate their roles in being change agents for autism.”

Caring for a child with special needs was highlighted as an opportunity to create a closer bond between child and parent/caregivers.

Walter Moore, who has a son on the spectrum shared, “being able to deal with the many challenges of a special needs child will assist parents in being more patient and creative in how they care for a child. My son and I are best friends. He is comfortable talking with me about anything and I have to learn how to respect his likes and dislikes and create an environment that makes him happy.”

Beaches Turks and Caicos’ Kids Camp is an Advanced Certified Autism Centre which ensures that team members have the required knowledge, skills, temperament, and expertise to cater to all children. The resort offers age-specific programmes for infants, toddlers, pre-teens and teens.

 

Release: BTC

 

Photo Captions:

Header: Tanya Swann (left), Director of Sales, Groups and Conventions at Beaches Turks and Caicos introduces the team of volunteers who were present while Robin Cox-Foster, school principal looks on

1st Insert: Walter Moore (left) Beaches Turks and Caicos team member shares a moment with his son (right) and Sesame Street character Sesame Street

2nd Insert: Some members of the Beaches Turks and Caicos Sandals Foundation team share a moment at the Thelma Lightbourne Primary School during a presentation to the institution

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Caribbean News

CARPHA Plans Activities for Caribbean Nutrition Day and Caribbean Nutrition Awareness Month

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Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. 1 June 2023. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) joins the Caribbean Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians (CANDi) and countries in the Caribbean region in commemorating Caribbean Nutrition Day (1 June) and Caribbean Nutrition Awareness Month (June) 2023.

Caribbean Nutrition Day and Awareness Month are annual regional nutrition education and information campaigns that aim to promote healthy eating and active living in populations using a promotion-based approach. To kick-start the month, Caribbean Nutrition Day will be observed under the theme: “Let’s Nourish to Flourish…Your Mental Health Matters.” It was first celebrated on 1 June 2004 and became a month-long observance in response to the growing recognition of nutrition in disease prevention and health promotion.  Caribbean Nutrition Awareness Month provides an opportunity to promote and encourage health seeking behaviours on a range of topics and across multiple sections of the population.

“CARPHA has planned a series of activities to commemorate these campaigns, and to raise awareness of the importance of nutrition. This includes the launch of a Diabetes Nutritional Management Toolkit.  A social media campaign will also be rolled out to engage the public on nutrition and mental health and nutritional management of NCDs in the region,” said Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director at CARPHA.

The observance of Caribbean Nutrition Day originated from the former Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI); one of five institutions subsumed under the Caribbean Public Health Agency.

 Events scheduled include:

 

  1. Fifth Meeting of the CARPHA Six Point Policy Package (6-PPP) Inter-Agency Technical Committee (ITC) on Monday 12 June 2023.

The 6-point policy package is a framework instituted in 2017 to promote healthier food environments and food security to address childhood obesity (and non-communicable diseases) through joint policy action. The 6-PPP includes policy recommendations to address: (1) Food Labelling; (2) Nutrition Standards and Guidelines for Schools and other Institutions; (3) Food Marketing; (4) Nutritional Quality of Food Supply; (5) Trade and Fiscal Policies; and (6) Food Chain Incentives. The ITC comprises of CARICOM institutions and other agencies with responsibility for economic and social sectors to collectively monitor and coordinate the implementation of the 6-PPP.

  • Webinar to launch the Diabetes Nutritional Management Toolkit on Tuesday 13 June 2023.

The toolkit – comprising of booklets, posters, flyer and recipes for both the health care professional and person with diabetes – will standardise the nutritional management of diabetes in primary care in the Caribbean. The toolkit was developed in 2022 following a Rapid Needs Assessment of Nutrition Services in primary health care in a representative 10 Member States. This initiative was funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) through the CARPHA-led project “Strengthening Strategic Intelligence and Partnership Approaches to Prevent and Control NCDs and Strengthen Regional Health Security in the Caribbean”.

Click here to register in advance for this Webinar

CARPHA will also disseminate an article “Nutrition for Good Mental Health”.  The article will highlight the essential role nutrition (nutrients) play in the functioning of the nervous system and key elements of the diet to ensure good mental health.

We encourage persons to follow CARPHA’s social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – for updates and pertinent information on nutrition for good mental health and NCDs management.

CARPHA will also be supporting its Member States in their celebration of Caribbean Nutrition Day and Awareness Month.

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