Crime

Commissioner of Police Statement on Recent Upsurge in Violent Crime in Five Cays

Published

4 years ago

September 7, 2022

#TurksandCaicos, September 7, 2022 – The last five days has seen a deliberate disregard for the rule of law and life on Providenciales, predominantly in Five Cays but also in other communities that has left a trail of tragedy and heartache in a manner that is unacceptable in the Turks and Caicos Islands. This heinous acts has been perpetrated by young men, men who have carried out cowardly attacks for reasons that are hard to understand and completely unacceptable.

This violence has led to the deaths of four people and a number of others who have been hospitalized with serious injuries. All of the incidents involved firearms and all of the deceased suffered gunshot injuries.

Overnight from Friday 2^nd September into the 3^rd, two persons, Keno Taylor and Assam Astwood were shot and killed and Five Cays and two others were hospitalized with gunshot injuries.

Early Sunday morning, the 4^th September, two persons were attacked, again in Five Cays and died from gunshot injuries. I am naming them as Stuart Harris and Tamia Simmons.

These attacks were targeted against specific individuals but it is clear that the gunmen were indiscriminate in the way they carried out the violent and abhorrent attacks.

In these instances, this violent criminal is driven by young men, formed into gangs, where violence spirals out of control through a cycle of retribution and revenge against groups and is further fueled by the importation and distribution of drugs and wider criminal activity. This level of criminality cannot be and won’t be tolerated and the Force will remain resolute in tackling this organized crime.

We know that the community of Five Cays is fearful, but I want to reassure you that we are doing all we can to take these criminals off the streets of the Turks and Caicos Islands and stop the cycle of shootings and death. Additional officers are being deployed into Five Cays across the 24-hour period, both to reassure the community and to track down the violent criminal elements that are blighting lives and causing misery to so many. You may not see all the policing activity that is being undertaken, but please be reassured that we are working hard for you in tackling this problem. We are also deploying all legal measures to deal with the people behind this violence, including covert policing tactics.

As always, we need your help, if you know anything, no matter how small tell us. I do acknowledge that there are concerns about giving information to Police Officers and I understand the hesitancy. However, we now have a dedicated team of trained officers who will work discreetly with people who want to provide information. They work separately from the force and will deal with your information discreetly and professionally. I will be sending out a dedicated number to contact the team but, in the meantime, please free to contact me directly and I will assist. We have made this change as we know how difficult it is to provide information so, please trust me when I tell you that your identity and what you have to say will remain confidential.

Alternatively, you can still call crime-stoppers, you won’t need to leave your name and we won’t know who called but we will get the information you provide.

In broader terms, I have spoken many times about the societal issues that sit behind serious crime. The Force is working alongside the Government and National Security Team to better understand the causes of crime and start to deal with the deeper societal and community issues as well as building the Capability and Capacity of the Force.

The Force is working with the Hon Taylor and the relevant Ministry to improve lighting within Five Cays to enhance the feel of communities in terms of safety and security.

The Force is also working in partnership with the Government and the Attorney General’s Chambers to consider legislation that will allow policing to better deal with violent criminals and increase the sentences for serious crimes when convicted.

Such enhancements support the Police in dealing with criminals and play a part in making people feel safer within their communities.

I am grateful for the financial support of the government to allow is to do this. We are recruiting a number of officers from the TCI and overseas to bolster our numbers, we are enhancing our intelligence and covert policing capability, driving forward with our plans for community policing and investing in our investigative capability, both in terms of investigators and technical support. I am also grateful to the UK Government in providing support to policing on the TCI in a number of ways to enhance our capability and capacity and more support is coming in the near future.

I wanted you, our community, to know that we are moving forward in our ability to fight crime, so again, I want to reassure you that the Officers and staff are working hard to prevent and detect crime. For example, in 2022, of guns have been removed from the streets of the TCI and the persons in possession of those weapons have been arrested and charged. We will continue this work, overtly and covert to rid the streets of guns and stop these violent criminals from causing harm to our communities.

Knowing the level of dangerous work undertaken by my officers, I want to thank them for the work they do day and night in protecting their communities. I wish to salute their courage, persistence and determination.

As I close, if you choose to threaten a Police Officer with a firearm you are making a choice and that will have a consequence. My officers legally empowered to protect themselves and law abiding citizen’s others from armed criminality and they will do so if threatened. Let me be clear, if you threaten the life of an officer, you will face lethal force to protect themselves. Do not to make a bad decision.

To the young men involved in these crimes I say this; ‘Find another way to live your lives rather than through violence and guns. I am appealing to you directly; stop the cycle of violence, a cycle that makes you more likely to die a violent death, a cycle that will ultimately result in you spending most of your life in prison and a cycle that is causing death and lifelong grief to others. I am also appealing to those who are close to these young men, parents, siblings, friends, I am asking you to plead with them to stop the violence and take a different path before they too end up being shot and killed in the very cycle of violence they are perpetuating. No good ever comes from the life they are living.’

Finally, four people have lost their lives and our condolences, thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have died in the recent attacks and to those who have been injured. Make no mistake, as a Force we committed to keeping our communities safe and we remain focused, steadfast and relentless in hunting down the criminals who are causing so much misery to our communities.

Thank you, and may God bless you and the beautiful by nature Turks and Caicos Islands.

Crime

Human Trafficking Probe Revealed as Police Warn of Growing Teen Crime Concern

Published

20 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Deandrea Hamilton

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Turks and Caicos, June 23, 2026 – A police briefing intended to update the public on crime trends in the Turks and Caicos Islands instead exposed what may be one of the most significant criminal investigations currently underway in the country.

When questioned about the June 14 shooting on Bible Street, Police Commissioner Fitz Bailey revealed that the incident stemmed from an anti-human trafficking operation during which 12 women believed to be victims of human trafficking were rescued by law enforcement.

“The officers were engaged in an anti-human trafficking operation… 12 females were rescued or victims of human trafficking were rescued, and they are in our care and that investigation is advanced,” Bailey told reporters.

The revelation stunned many who had linked the Bible Street shooting to other recent violent incidents, including the June 12 murder in Five Cays. However, the Commissioner indicated the confrontation was connected to the anti-human trafficking investigation, though he declined to provide further details due to the sensitive nature of the ongoing case.

More than a week later, authorities continue to maintain that the investigation remains active. Magnetic Media has confirmed with police officials that no arrests have yet been made in connection with the alleged human trafficking operation.

The Commissioner also sounded the alarm over what appears to be an emerging trend involving teenage boys and serious criminal activity. In discussing recent incidents, Bailey suggested that some young offenders are operating within organized criminal networks and warned that law enforcement alone cannot solve the growing problem.

“My experience tells me that once they reach a threshold it is very difficult to bring them back,” Bailey said. “The social agencies will have to get involved. We have to find a way to reach these unattached youth and to engage them and to create that positive reinforcement in their life.”

Despite those concerns, Bailey reported that overall crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands continues to trend sharply downward.

According to police statistics presented at the briefing, murders have fallen from 13 at this point last year to just one in 2026, representing a 92 percent reduction. Attempted murders have fallen by 100 percent, kidnappings by 75 percent, robberies by 34 percent, aggravated burglaries by 22 percent, firearm possession offences by 50 percent and incidents involving the discharge of firearms by 85 percent. Police reported that nearly every major category of serious crime has declined compared to the same period last year.

The lone murder recorded in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 2026 occurred on June 12 in Five Cays. While no arrest has been made in that case, the Commissioner indicated that investigators believe they know who is responsible.

“I am convinced and I am positive that the perpetrator is a teenager,” Bailey stated.

The press conference was held at Police Headquarters in Providenciales.

Crime

Rape Only Major Crime Category to Increase in Turks and Caicos

Published

1 day ago

June 23, 2026

Deandrea Hamilton

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Turks and Caicos, June 23, 2026 – While nearly every major category of serious crime is trending downward in the Turks and Caicos Islands, police statistics reveal one troubling exception: rape.

Speaking during a press conference at Police Headquarters in Providenciales, Police Commissioner Fitz Bailey reported a five percent increase in rape cases compared to the same period last year, making it the only major crime category to record an increase in 2026.

The increase comes as police celebrate dramatic reductions in murders, attempted murders, kidnappings, robberies and firearm-related offences.

However, Bailey cautioned that the statistics surrounding rape cases are often more complex than they initially appear.

Responding to a question from the media, the Commissioner explained that some complainants report rape but later choose not to support police investigations. In other cases, the alleged offender is known to the complainant, creating additional challenges for investigators.

“We have some of those reports where persons make allegations which have not been proven because they will come and say they have been raped, but they do not support an investigation,” Bailey explained.

The Commissioner stressed that police are required to document and investigate all reports made to law enforcement, regardless of whether a complainant later decides not to proceed.

“Once you make a report, we have to record it and we have to fulfil our obligation,” he said.

Bailey also noted that in many reported cases, the alleged perpetrators are individuals known to the complainants.

While acknowledging that some reports may ultimately not result in charges or convictions, the Commissioner emphasized that every allegation must be treated seriously and investigated appropriately.

The figures underscore an ongoing challenge for law enforcement and social service agencies as the Turks and Caicos Islands continues to work toward reducing violence and protecting vulnerable members of the community.

Bahamas News

Gardiner Transferred to New York; Mystery of Missed Hearing Now Explained

Published

4 weeks ago

May 29, 2026

Deandrea Hamilton

The Bahamas, May 29, 2026 – One of the biggest questions surrounding the Jonathan Gardiner case appears to have been answered.

Weeks after reports surfaced that the Bahamian businessman failed to appear for an expected court hearing in Orlando, newly disclosed court records show the hearing never took place because Gardiner elected to have the matter heard in New York, where federal prosecutors are pursuing the case against him.

According to reporting by the Nassau Guardian, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathan Hill ruled on May 19 that Gardiner was the person named in the federal arrest warrant and ordered that he be transferred to the Southern District of New York.

“…I find that Jonathan Eric Gardiner is the person named in the warrant for arrest…,” Hill wrote.

The judge noted that no preliminary hearing was conducted in Florida because Gardiner chose to have that hearing held in the district where the prosecution is pending.

That district is New York.

Hill ordered that Gardiner “be held to answer in the district court in which the prosecution is pending” and directed the U.S. Marshal’s Office to transport him to the Southern District of New York.

No date for a New York court appearance was disclosed in the order.

The development helps explain confusion that followed reports of a missed Orlando court date and marks the latest chapter in a case that has captured public attention in both The Bahamas and the United States.

Gardiner first came to the attention of U.S. authorities after surviving an Election Day plane crash off the Florida coast. Federal prosecutors have accused him of participating in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, allegations he is expected to contest in court.

The matter has attracted even greater scrutiny because federal court documents reference an unnamed “Politician 1”, fueling widespread public speculation about the identity of the individual and whether additional disclosures could emerge as the case progresses.

Meanwhile, a separate investigation has uncovered troubling findings about the aircraft involved in the crash.

According to reporting by The Tribune, investigators say the Panamanian-registered aircraft that ditched into waters off Florida on May 12 did not possess a valid certificate of airworthiness and should not have been operating at the time of the flight.

That revelation has added another layer of intrigue to an already extraordinary case involving a dramatic ocean rescue, a federal drug conspiracy prosecution, political speculation and now questions about how an allegedly unairworthy aircraft was carrying passengers between Bahamian islands.

For now, attention shifts to New York, where Gardiner’s next court appearance is expected to provide the first substantive hearing in a case many continue to watch closely.

Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.