TCI News
TCI Governor Statement; new move limits access to ATMs
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – February 5, 2020 — When the Premier and myself launched the National Security Strategy on 22nd January we talked about “national unity around national security”. A practical example of this was a meeting held with the three Banks on Monday seeking their active support in removing a criminal methodology that has developed in TCI; forcing bank customers to provide access to their bank accounts, through ATM machines, while being held hostage on fear of their life. We needed more than just a Policing response to this.
Therefore, from this evening, Wednesday 5 February, the Banks will be closing their ATM’s on Providenciales from 7pm to 7am. This will include all drive-through’s and those in Bank vestibules. For the moment this closure will not include those in highly visible public places such as the airport and supermarket locations, but we will keep this under review. It will not impact ATM’s on other Islands although we hope the Banks use this opportunity to also look, and if necessary improve, the security around them.
This is not time limited; it is subject to review dependent on a survey and recommendations around the security of individual ATM’s conducted by the Banks. The Banks and Governor’s Office will remain in close touch during this period and we will collectively keep the public informed of changes.
In terms of deposits we have agreed this will not impact mechanical drop boxes it will remove, temporarily, the ability to deposit money through electronic ATM’s between 7pm and 7am.
I am grateful for the Bank’s co-operation on this. I stressed that in making the request I had the support of the Premier, Leader of the Opposition, Police Commissioner and the major employers across the tourist industry. A good example of national unity, and a good example of where small changes in the private sector – in terms of all other changes we are making across the public sector – should make a difference.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Friday 17 January, 2024: On Thursday 16 January 2025, debris from a failed SpaceX launch impacted the Turks and Caicos Islands. In the immediacy of the outfall, the Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority diverted all flights in TCI airspace as well as grounded all flights until an all clear had been given.
There are no reported injuries and reports of only minimal damage to property at this time.
Today, Friday, 17 January, TCIG Officials convened a meeting with relevant partners in the United Kingdom including the UK Space Agency, who are supporting the post incident response, including technical expertise on the handling of debris, health and safety risks, protocols and procedures. The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch have been notified and discussions are ongoing with the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) who will liaise with SpaceX.
This is now an active investigation led by the US FAA in liaison with UK and TCI counterparts.
We are not at this time aware of any specific risks related to the re-entry of space debris on Thursday 16 January. However, space objects can sometimes contain hazardous materials which can cause serious harm to health. Members of the public who come across objects that they think might be space debris should take the following actions:
Do not touch the object
Make a note of the location (Island and exact coordinates) of the object and the time (including any maritime observations of debris)
If possible take a photograph of the object (without touching it) alongside another object for scale
Notify the authorities by sending the details to nationalsecurity@gov.tc with the subject title Space X Debris.
Space debris remains the property of the spacecraft owner
If you have already handled what you think might be space debris please put it in a safe place where others will not handle it and inform the authorities at nationalsecurity@gov.tc. Further advice will be provided for the collation of the debris.
The safety of our residents and visitors remains our highest priority. We appreciate the community’s vigilance and cooperation as we work alongside international partners to manage this incident.
Turks and Caicos, January 13, 2025 – The Marine Branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force successfully intercepted two illegal sloops within the last 24 hours. In the first incident, at around 2:25 a.m. yesterday (January 12), the Maritime Operations Center tracked a suspicious target in the Bird Rock, Long Bay area.
Officers of the Marine Branch were informed, and at 2:35 a.m., they spotted a dark blue wooden vessel with two outboard engines carrying several individuals.
The illegal sloop was intercepted, and officers discovered TWENTY-SEVEN (27) illegal migrants- TWENTY-ONE (21) males, including two
minors and SIX (6) females. All individuals were handed over to the TCI Border Force for processing.
Shortly after 1 a.m. today, the Marine Branch, alongside the TCI Regiment, received information that a blue 38-foot wooden Haitian vessel with two outboard engines was in TCI waters.
The vessel was located and intercepted.
Onboard the vessel was ONE HUNDRED and TWENTY-ONE (121) persons – ONE HUNDRED and FOUR (104) males –including a minor and SEVENTEEN (17) females.
Assistant Commissioner (ag) Mat Newton said, “I am grateful to our partners—TCI Border Force and TCI Regiment—for their assistance and support in successfully processing the illegal migrants intercepted by the police. This shows that the layers of security in place are increasingly effective, and we continue to build our defensive measures to tackle this type of crime.”
The RTCIPF asks the public to notify the closest police station, contact 911, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, and anonymously give any information on illegal activity.
Additionally, persons are encouraged to download the CrimeStoppers P3 app and share information anonymously.
Photo Credit: RTCIP
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