By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, October 12, 2022 – For five weeks criminals both local and international have terrorized the Turks and Caicos leaving death in their wake, now those criminals are facing a police force dozens of officers stronger and much more far reaching. Security leaders hope it will be enough to crush any gang activity; already, thankfully the violence has been dialed down. And Co-Chair of the National Security Council Governor Nigel Dakin says if this show of force is not enough there’s more in reserve.
In recent video addresses, both Dakin and Police Commissioner Trevor Botting detailed the partnerships that have been cashed in and the resulting ‘boots on the ground’.
The Frontline
As an immediate addition to the everyday force, a Bahamian Contingent has arrived, all are sworn in and some have already been integrated into the tactical unit.
The TCI’s sister country responded immediately when the TCI requested help and gave some of her best.
Kendal Strachan, 38-year member and Assistant Commissioner in the Royal Bahamas Police Force on Friday October 7, was sworn in as special constable with the mission to keep the peace and to stop anyone who threatens that peace. Strachan is well versed in technologies which can be employed to crack down on crime, and has trained at Quantico and the FBI in the United States. Strachan also brings Human trafficking and tactical response training and 23 other officers with him.
In addition to Bahamians, a significant number of TCI island police officers have been moved from desk duty and the Marine office and placed on frontline duty.
Intelligence
Behind the frontline but still directly involved, is a now beefed up intelligence unit according to Dakin. 
Not only is a National Emergency Operations Group composed of top security officials meeting every day for updates, the National Crime Agency, the UK equivalent of the FBI, is on the ground already and meeting with local intelligence.
Jamaican intelligence partnerships are in play as well, and on the way are 24 trained and UK-funded detectives who Dakin said “provide the heart of any anti-gang operation.”
The Borders
To help stop the guns and drugs that play a major role in the violence in the Turks and Caicos several international agencies are in place and still more are arriving.
A team with canine capabilities from The Bahamas is already in the TCI and has started duties at the airports checking for contraband.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is already on the ground with a helicopter to man the channel between Hispaniola and the TCI, ready to spot and catch smugglers.
On Sunday, UK Border Force experts will land on the islands to add another link in the chain of defense.
A Royal Fleet Auxiliary and its Wildcat Helicopter are also inbound. “The UK Foreign Office is paying, and this airframe provides outstanding day and night surveillance,” Dakin explained.
In Reserve
Miami Dade Police and the Jamaica Constabulary Force have made offers to the TCI for immediate help. The UK is putting together a reserve Police Force should it be needed and as a last resort the UK Military can be called on. .
For weeks, residents have been demanding support and had the first peaceful Sunday in over a month, only days after Bahamian officers stepped into the islands. Dakin promises that peace and serenity will become the order of the day once more.
“With intelligence now being provided through sources on the ground; future intelligence provided by those monitoring telecommunications; intelligence collected from the aerial surveillance platform the UK are procuring, and; intelligence provided across the region; we will have built a Policing machine that can outmatch any gang.”