#Providenciales, October 17, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Following several incidents of assault
against Prison Officers by inmates over several months, a number of Prison
Officers refused to report to their work stations on the morning of October 17th 2019
which resulted in the need to call an emergency meeting with staff.
The meeting was convened at 10:00am at the
Police Headquarters in Grand Turk and was chaired by the Acting Governor, Her
Excellency Anya Williams supported by the Acting Minister of Home Affairs, the
Honourable Edwin Astwood, the Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs, Mrs. Clara
Gardiner, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Bridgette Newman, Prison
Superintendent, Mr. Grahame Hawkins and Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr.
Clifford Henry.
The Prison Officers raised a number of
concerns relating to their working conditions, pay, benefits, security and
safety, which were all discussed during the meeting.
Commenting on the meeting and its outcome,
Acting Governor Her Excellency Anya Williams stated “Following a number of
incidents of unrest and assault at the Prison, it was necessary to convene an
emergency meeting with the Prison Officers to assure them that it was safe for
them to return to work and that their concerns would be addressed.
A number of the matters raised were already
in the process of being dealt with as substantial investments have been and
will continue to be made in the infrastructure of the Prison and staff working
conditions.
The UK recently funded a new fencing and lighting
project for the prison, which once completed, will be followed by the
reconstruction of the Yellow Wing, which was destroyed by fire following the
hurricanes in 2017 and was subsequently tendered and awarded earlier this year.
In addition to this, the government has
announced its intention to construct a new Remand Center in Providenciales to
reduce the movement of prisoners for court purposes and the construction of a
new Prison in Grand Turk to better address custody and rehabilitation.
The Prison has continued to see increases in
staff over the years and progress is being made to providing staff with
insurance, protective equipment and other resources to staff.
We understand and appreciate the challenges
that our Prison Officers face every day in the carriage of their duties, and we
are grateful for the jobs that they do and commit to working in partnership to
address their concerns and to improve the overall state of the Prison.”
Acting Minister of Home Affairs, the Honourable Edwin Astwood said: “As acting Minister with responsibility for the Prison which is located on Grand Turk where I am based and serve the community, it was important to be present to join the Acting Governor, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and other senior officials to participate in communicating the Government’s efforts to address staff concerns and longstanding physical infrastructure issues at Her Majesty’s Prison. From our discussions, I am confident that a great deal of effort and work has already gone into resolving many of the issues raised and it is only a matter of weeks before some of them will materialize. Through this medium, I want to express the Government’s appreciation to management and staff for the work they do daily and reiterate our commitment to continue to provide meaningful support.”
Prison Superintendent Grahame Hawkins
commented: “In the context of meals, prisoners received their breakfast at
9:30am this morning, their lunch meal at 12:30pm and will get their evening
meal on time this evening.
In addition, The Police tactical team have also attended the prison
today, as part of mutual support, with the intention of searching a number of
areas and cells. The searching is being led by the prison team, with the
assistance of the police. The intention is to demonstrate that the police
and prison work together to make sure that the prison and those within it
understand that security and safety is important.”
Upon conclusion of the meeting, the staff returned to their duties at 11:30am this morning.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Friday, 29 May 2026: The Crown Land Unit (CLU), in coordination with the Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) and key partner agencies, conducted a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 21 May 2026, in sections of the Blue Hills and Stammers Run areas of Providenciales. The exercise focused on the serving of Section 22 Notices and Letters of Illegal Occupation on parcels where unauthorised occupation and development activity were identified.
The operation was led by the Crown Land Unit, with coordination and support provided by the ISU. Additional support was provided by the TCI Border Force, while security for the exercise was provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. All agencies worked collaboratively to ensure the operation was carried out in a safe, orderly, and controlled manner.
The exercise was conducted pursuant to the mandate of the Crown Land Unit under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown Land. During inspections conducted across multiple parcels within Block 60502, several unauthorised structures constructed of concrete and timber were identified. Occupied structures were served with Letters of Illegal Occupation, while Notices of Illegal Occupation were affixed to unoccupied structures or served where appropriate.
In total, fourteen (14) Letters of Illegal Occupation and thirteen (13) Notices of Illegal Occupation were served during the operation. Notices and letters were either delivered directly to occupants or posted on structures in instances where occupants or the persons responsible for the construction were absent.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government wishes to emphasise that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown Land constitute breaches of the Crown Land Ordinance and undermine lawful land administration and planning processes.
The Government remains committed to protecting Crown land, preventing unlawful occupation, and supporting safe, orderly, and sustainable development across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Multi-agency operations such as these form part of ongoing efforts to uphold the rule of law while advancing broader objectives related to land management, public safety, and community development.
Turks and Caicos, May 29, 2026 – The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority has quietly implemented a significant change to how critical aviation notices are distributed, shifting the publication of its Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, from the United States system to a United Kingdom-based platform.
In a statement issued to the aviation community, TCIAA advised that effective May 13, 2026, at noon, all Turks and Caicos Islands NOTAMs began being published through the UK NOTAM Office, operated by National Air Traffic Services (NATS), under the U Series classification.
The move means pilots, airlines, dispatchers and flight planning teams can no longer rely on the Federal Aviation Administration’s traditional NOTAM source to locate current operational notices for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
NOTAMs are essential aviation communications used to alert pilots and operators to temporary changes that could affect flight operations, including runway closures, navigational aid outages, airspace restrictions and other safety-related information.
According to the Airports Authority, the transition is part of a broader aviation modernization programme and will remain in place until TCIAA commissions its own Aeronautical Information Management and Aeronautical Message Handling System capability.
The authority stressed that the change does not affect flight operations or aviation safety.
“At this time, there is no interruption to air traffic operations or safety-critical services,” the TCIAA said, noting that operational information will continue to be communicated through established Air Traffic Control channels.
The authority urged airlines, charter operators, flight planners and other aviation stakeholders to ensure their operational teams are aware of the new publication source to avoid missing important notices.
While largely administrative, the shift represents another step in the Turks and Caicos Islands’ effort to modernize its aviation infrastructure and align more closely with international aviation information management standards.
The Airports Authority thanked stakeholders for their cooperation as the transition moves forward.
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Turks and Caicos, May 29, 2026 – A fatal dog attack at one of Providenciales’ most popular beaches has resulted in swift enforcement action, with authorities identifying and charging the owners of the animals involved.
The Department of Agriculture says a group of dogs attacked and killed another dog at Taylor Bay Beach in Chalk Sound on May 18, in an incident witnessed by beachgoers and visitors.
Investigators moved quickly, determining that the dogs involved were registered and owned by residents of the Chalk Sound community. Accompanied by officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, Agriculture officials visited the owners and issued citations under the Dog Control Ordinance.
Each owner was fined a total of $1,500, including a $1,000 penalty for allowing a dog to roam in a public space without a leash and a $500 fine for having a dog exhibiting aggressive behaviour in a public area.
While the attack ended with the death of a dog, authorities noted that the outcome could have been far worse had a person, child or tourist become caught up in the incident.
Minister of Agriculture Zhavargo Jolly said the government takes incidents involving uncontrolled or aggressive animals seriously and praised the swift response by enforcement officers.
“While this was an isolated incident, it is unacceptable and swift enforcement action was taken by the Department of Agriculture and the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force,” said Jolly.
The minister stressed that residents and visitors should be able to enjoy public beaches safely and that dog owners have a responsibility to keep their animals secured and under control at all times.
The Department of Agriculture is reminding pet owners that dogs must be leashed in public spaces and properly registered. Officials are also encouraging owners to ensure their animals are microchipped as part of responsible pet ownership practices.
The incident remains under review, but authorities say the case demonstrates that violations of the Dog Control Ordinance will result in enforcement action.
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