TCI News
Turks and Caicos prisoners go live on Facebook, Minister says serious action to follow
#Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands – Friday April 6, 2018 – There appears to be a big party going on at the Her Majesty’s Prison in Grand Turk and it is on display for the entire world to see after some inmates posted video of them laughing, carousing, rapping, dancing, cussing, interacting and having near phone sex and all of it was live on Facebook.
The group, led by accused double homicide suspect Christopher Forbes, is sending shout-outs, posing and posturing, encouraging women to ‘twerk’ and to expose their bodies during a live from jail broadcast on Facebook around 6pm on Thursday; telling their audience across the US mainly, that the ‘Jail House Crew’ was in the Caribbean. 
The link to the video, which was live on the ‘Donald Trump Clown University’ timeline on Facebook was shared last night with Magnetic Media, and it is a disturbing bit of insight of what we understand is the Green wing of Her Majesty’s Prison, where the more serious offenders or dangerous on remand suspects are housed.
While the men are clearly not going anywhere, they appear to have free movement in the small space, dressed and behaving ‘wild beach party style’; a far cry from what many would expect jail time to look like.
The Home Affairs Minister today reacted to the outrageous video which goes on for 40-minutes, and which has been shared nearly 1,500 times and has been viewed by over 85,000 people.
Minister Delroy Williams said, this, “As the Minister of Government with responsibilities for Her Majesty’s Prisons ,I am deeply concerned about a video that is circulating on social media and which has clearly been made by, and contains footage of, inmates of Her majesty’s prison. This is a very serious and disturbing situation and is undoubtedly a national security issue which has very serious implications. I can assure you that this matter is not being taken lightly and that I have order an immediate and full investigation into the matter tough and urgent measures will be enforced to address this matter immediately.”
And there is an urgent demand for intervention at the corrections facility located on the capital island of Grand Turk. It was mere weeks ago that prison superintendent, Steve Barrett declined renewal of his contract with TCIG. Barrett was blasted, some believe unfairly, on social media by Islanders for his characterization of the situation at the Prison which seems to be an escalating one. From fires being set, to female prison guards being molested, escapes, beatings of other inmates and harsh resistance to British support following the September 2017 Hurricanes; HMP is undoubtedly in trouble.
The inmates threaten prison officers in that trending video as well. The 40-minutes features women from across America, who were watching and eventually expose their faces and body parts to the randy prisoners who demanded to see from tattoos, to breasts to vaginas – and the language was anything but scientific or polite.
At least one woman, claiming to be from ‘Cali’ did show the men her breasts before the ‘lock down’.
‘Big Daddy Forbes’, who is awaiting trial for the brutal killing of two women from the Dominican Republic, brazenly promised the viewers that they would be live again “tomorrow”.
The Minister concluded his statement with: “Without delving into details, because of the very sensitive nature of this incident, I wish to assure residents of Turks and Caicos Islands that no effort will be spared in acquiring whatever resources are necessary to control this matter and to ensure that there is no recurrence.”
It is unclear if the Turks and Caicos Islands Government has requested that Facebook take the illegal video recording down.
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
News
The Department of Trade, Industry & Fair Competition to Host Export Readiness Workshop Under the theme “Empowering TCI Businesses for Local Growth and Global Markets.”
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 11 February 2026: The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) coordinated a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 29 January 2026, led by the Planning Department, with support from the Crown Land
Unit, the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, and security provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The operation, carried out at three different locations in Providenciales, formed part of ongoing government efforts to address unauthorised development and illegal occupation of land in accordance with governing legislation.
The operation commenced in Blue Hills, where five Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on unauthorised structures identified on Block and Parcel 60502/48.
Enforcement activity then moved to a second location off the Leeward Highway near Caicos Lodge, where six Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on additional unauthorised structures on Block and Parcel 60802/66.
The final phase of the operation took place in The Bight, where three unauthorised structures were removed, with all debris cleared from the site in keeping with established safety and environmental protocols.
The Informal Settlements Unit remains committed to working alongside its partner agencies to support lawful development, protect public and private land, and ensure that planning regulations are enforced in a coordinated and transparent manner across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Similar joint operations will continue as part of the Government’s wider strategy to address unauthorised development and informal settlement activity.
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