TCI News
Six weeks to CCTV across Providenciales, says Police Commissioner
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos – Tuesday May 1, 2018 – Closed Circuit Television is weeks away from turning on for live broadcast in the Turks and Caicos Islands with the main goal being to prevent crime.
“You will see them very clearly, they are going to mounted poles that exist already. We may have to put one or two extra poles on but we have gone through a whole exercise to make sure we cover the entire country. This is the first phase so people shouldn’t expect to see new cameras in Grand Turk yet, but they will be there, they are a part of the second phase. We are working very closely with those who already have cameras to make sure we can plug into them and see areas that might not be covered by the new cameras. By and large, we will cover every major route, every major junction and some hot spots that we want to keep a close eye on.”
In less than two months, the Turks and Caicos Islands will go live with CCTV cameras all across the island of Providenciales; the landmark announcement came today from Police Commissioner James Smith who explained that the legal and physical infrastructure are both ready.
“Significantly to come is the introduction of the national CCTV system,” announced Commissioner James Smith who led a Police Press Conference today at the headquarters in Providenciales; he added, “The timeline we have to go live for the CCTV is mid-June. We have recruited new staff, the office has been refurbished and I fully expect that we will be operational soon.”
With concerns mounting globally about how much is too much when it comes to these public video surveillance systems, there had to be the appropriate legislation in place to support any information gathered and used for the purpose of police investigations and court trials.
“We have been very busy in terms of working with the Office of the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions and others on the introduction of significant new legislation in the country.”
Some 120 cameras will be installed across the country’s economic center, Providenciales, using fiber optic technology through DigicelTCI; Digicel was the successful winner of the project bid.
“You will have seen up and down the highway major works going on, on the side, that is to enable the laying of the fibre optics that is to enable that CCTV project. Along with the 911 Service, this will be based in a refurbished facility on Leeward Highway. I am pleased to say the 911 Service is also upgraded with new technology and equipment.”
From having the ability to zoom, pivot and capture images even at night; the Commissioner with other senior ranking officers, to media, explained that the surveillance video will be crystal clear and ideal to support criminal and traffic cases at trial.
“It is important for our road users particularly, to know that we will be placing a focus on the safety of our road and the management of those who use the roads. And I can confirm that Road Traffic legislation changes will be introduced to do the following to make them ticketable offences: driving or using a motor vehicle using a cellular phone, person travelling on a motor cycle or driving any other motor vehicle should not wear a helmet with a tinted visor, using a motor vehicle with defective direction indicators ; we will be making it mandatory of drivers to have with them at all time, drivers license and certificate of insurance and I think most importantly, we will be introducing the power to arrest of drivers of motor vehicles without a valid certificate of insurance.”
The CCTV system will eventually branch out to other islands of the Turks and Caicos and will be housed with the 911 Service, and will use four specially recruited 911 staffers as “special constables” to work the 24-7 monitoring system.
“The technology is very clever and I should mention that in the CCTV control room, we have an inspector on 24-7 duty and supported by the 911 Supervisor, the 911 staff and dedicated CCTV monitor people so that we can quickly switch our eyes to an area of concern and we will be better able to direct vehicles and officers to incidents so it should make a significant change to the way we react to stuff, the way we can prevent stuff but it will assist us to provide evidence in court.”
Another special event linked to the CCTV is imminent said Commissioner Smith; it will include private sector stakeholders which have supported the national security system upgrade.
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.
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