#Providenciales, September 19, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Let me start, as the Governor, by welcoming you. For those listening to us on the radio we are in the Premier’s Office and I’m joined by the Premier and the recently appointed Commissioner of Police. We also have with us the Deputy Governor, Deputy Premier, and the Executive Leadership team of the Police Force.
We
are here to describe and take questions about the recent spike in the murder
rate on the islands.
Let
me first start with the most important group we want to acknowledge; the
victims. Their lives taken, their futures stolen. Their families, their friends
hurt beyond imagination. Those who were their parents, their partners, their
sweethearts, their brothers, their sisters, their children. Those who were once
at their school or who shared a work place or who just thoroughly enjoyed their
company or their humour. Those that loved them intensely in life and those who had
no idea how much they thought of them until they were gone.
I’m
very aware that a life taken away – suddenly, unexpectedly and violently – is a
blow very hard to deal with. There’s an immediate overwhelming heart-stopping
shock to be replaced over time by a feeling of sadness that remains and returns
when least expected. No opportunity for a final goodbye, no opportunity to
perhaps put something right or say something that needed to be said.
The
cold statistic of 10 murders doesn’t start to explain the impact this has on
those very close to the person who has lost their life, but also on a
community. And on an island, which is one extended community, a violent attack
on one member feels like an attack on us all.
I speak therefore for all of us when I say we want to bring those who
did this, to your loved ones, and to our community, to justice.
Beyond
gaining justice for those we have lost, you quite rightly want to know what we are
going to do about this to prevent further loss, and that’s the purpose of this
Press-Conference.
I
promised when I was sworn in that I was going to be clear, and in being ‘clear’
I was going to be ‘straight’. So what we
are not going to do is down-play the seriousness nor are we going to offer you the
illusion of a quick fix.
Anyone
suggesting there is one, hasn’t looked at a whole range of comparative
scenarios from around the region or from around the world as to how serious
crime has to be tackled across Government and society.
I
said when appointing the new local Deputy Commissioner, last month, that when
we come to talking about ‘the Police and crime’ we have reached the end of a
conversation rather than having a much needed conversation about its causes. It’s going to take time, and it’s going to
take far more than just ‘the Police’ to develop a society that’s at ease with
itself and where serious crime is a genuine aberration.
The
important march on Sunday, led by our church leaders, supported by the
Honourable Premier and Honourable Leader of the Opposition, which placed an
emphasis on society and community, was an excellent example that these leaders,
religious and secular, understand that.
In
being clear and in being straight we are also not going to engage in hyperbole or stoke emotions.
What our collective intention is, in a leadership role, is to inform you with
facts. What’s the issue? What’s being done?
I’m
first going to say something about the leadership, not only of this issue, but
our general approach to leading the country at times such as this, and then
something about what the facts are telling us.
The Commissioner is then going to talk about the immediate Policing
response that he and his Executive Team have led. Most importantly the Premier
is going to talk to the wider societal issues and her Governments continued support
to the Police as we move forward. We will then take questions.
Let’s
start at the top. The most important thing we, as a national leadership team can
do, at this time, is lead. The symbolism of the three of us presenting together
should not be lost on you, nor on the criminals. We have been working on this, in the
background, as part of the National Security Strategy since I arrived and we had
expected to explain this change of approach, when we rolled that out. But today
we have the opportunity to give you a glimpse of how we are going to lead national
and internal security going forward.
The
world is now too complex for there to be institutional stovepipes and we intend
to lead in a joined up way in the expectation that others will match our
behaviours and work across institutional boundaries to deliver results.
Beyond
that simple thought: those on the front line delivering operational impact;
those paying for it; those who are held responsible to the electorate; those
who can propose policy and deliver legislation, and; those who hold the
Constitutional lead, including in extremis the power to call on emergency
powers, or on international support, have to be working in sympathy.
Being
blunt, if we can’t get it together at the top, what hope below. Some have
called this a crisis (given what I’ve seen in my life this isn’t, I assure you,
a crisis). But if it is, it’s also an opportunity to make this three way
relationship meaningful. The three of us have seized that opportunity. It’s now
the new normal. Key point: every
resource and power available to us can, as we wish, now be focussed rapidly when
and where we want it to be because we are joined up.
So
what’s the problem we are seeking to solve? I’ve already described 10 murders.
That’s 10 too many; justice needs to be done and will be done. Beyond that,
what else are the facts telling us.
The
first is, is that the emotions the public are feeling, are grounded in truth. I’m
going to give you the facts as to why we should as a society be concerned
and focussed. What we should not
be, as a society is panicked or afraid. In this regard what is
not helpful are misleading accounts on social media of phantom shootings and non-existent
attacks that distract Police from dealing with issues where there is genuinely
life at risk.
If
you are spreading a story on social media about an attack that’s supposedly
occurring but that you’ve not witnessed, please pause and think. Are you
helping make society better and safer. Gossip and rumour are toxic at the best
of times but when they promote unnecessary fear, when what we need is strength
and resilience, they become part of the problem. Please be part of the
solution. Please deal in known facts.
I
want to first of all explain one fact that I know you are less interested in
but one that is none-the-less accurate and important. Year-on-year the overall
(and I stress the word here overall) crime statistics have been falling. Over
five years overall crime is down 30%. I’ve been with our Police more since my
arrival than I have been with my own team. We have an increasingly good Force. The
statistics tell us that away from the most serious crime where there are really
deep non-policing factors at play, our Police have been getting better at doing
their job and part of this is down to investments made in them.
But
I also know that, at this moment, this is not the figure that you are
interested in. What you are interested in are the levels of serious crime. On
this issue the figures tell us an interesting story. Over the last five years
they initially rose to peak in 2016/17 at 426 serious crimes that year to then fall
back, in line with other falls in crime rate, to 314 last year.
So
what’s happened this year. If we look at
the April to August figures and compare them to last year, there is a sharp
increase in serious crime. If you break this down further it’s not ‘murder’ (the
very visible and appalling tip of the ice-burg) that shows a significant
increase but instead that which is less easy for the press or public to see: ‘firearms
offences’.
Murder,
itself, shows a relatively small rise but the more general firearms offences
have increased from 26 last year to 62 this year. That’s very significant.
Some
of these firearms offences are linked to robbery, it’s those that we know are
causing widespread public concern, but a significant number are indeed
‘retaliation’, not so much linked to gangs or turf, but to perceived arguments
and disrespect amongst groups. It’s an uncomfortable truth, but it’s a truth
the three of us need to share with you, that much of this problem is not
imported, it’s home grown. Its not ‘the other’, it’s ‘us’.
It’s
also worth saying that we believe we are dealing with a very small number of
criminals – who are increasingly becoming known to us – and when arrested and
charged – because there is evidence that can be put before the court – will reduce,
possibly seriously reduce, the problem we have right now.
Having
explained the local picture I now want to say something about how this impacts
on our tourist industry as it’s not just local but international commentators
that are following this. The way murder rates are calculated globally is by
death per 100,000. In a country as small as ours just one murder starts to
impact on this ratio. Just one bad individual can start to change the way our
Islands are presented globally.
The
facts are that in 5 years we have lost only two tourists to murder. One at a
resort, one in a private residence. That is two to many. Everything I said at
the start of this conference about the devastating shock to family and friends
I want to reemphasize, again. The shock is exacerbated because these were our
guests in our country, away from their family and their friends and they came
because they knew they were coming to a world class, amazingly relaxed and
tranquil destination, that have people retuning year-on-year, who in many cases
see it as their second spiritual home, because they love these islands and her
people. It is, and it remains, one of the most perfect destinations in the
world.
The
facts regarding tourist safety are we have 1.8 million tourists arriving with
us by air or sea every year. A tourist is statistically extraordinarily safe;
almost certainly safer than in their home country. It’s important, as we face
down the problem we have, we don’t unintentionally signal that this island is
anything other than amazingly safe for our visitors and what a superb job our
tourist industry do in ensuring their guests have an extraordinary time with
them and with us.
Finally
TCI: we are bigger, we are better and we are stronger than allowing a small
number of bad men, to bring fear into our amazing country. The stoicism we show
in times of natural disaster is admirable; let’s show it now. As you hear the Commissioner and Premier speak
let’s all of us assume ‘agency’, not just in observing the problem, but being a
part of the wider societal solution.
As I hand over to our Commissioner, I end where I began, we are determined to bring those who are working so hard to undermine our society to justice. Our thoughts – indeed our motivation – come from us understanding the deep hurt that these men did to the victims and those close to their victims – and if this ever was to your mind a crisis, it’s now become a realised opportunity. You have an unshakable national team that intends to impose itself on this and any future national security problem. This is therefore an important moment for the country in more than one sense. Commissioner, over to you.