#TurksandCaicos, November 23, 2022 – With these acts of wanton violence in the Turks and Caicos Islands, citizens, law enforcement and politicians are all baffled and fed up with what appears to be almost weekly reports of serious crimes.

We can blame it all on gangs but at what point do we draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough. What and who is masterminding this madness is yet to be determined but in either case there appears to be no signs or intentions of the criminals surrendering.

It’s pretty evident from recent police raids that illicit drugs and turf rights are fueling some of the violence. With that being said, we need to look beyond the obvious such as the narrow focus in disenfranchised communities. With such a relatively small population in TCI, more work must be done by law enforcement to identify the supply and demand from other sources.

This escalating crime should be a moment of national reckoning for TCI. All violence is a serious problem, but in terms of the gravity of the recent murder of a beloved family which left a child maimed, is gut wrenching and should be an inflection point.

Such a despicable and extreme act of violence shocked the conscience of this tiny island nation of TCI, and shows that the violence has reached a new dimension.

With so many lives been shattered by violence this is a pattern that we haven’t seen since the inception of our country and its eroding the TCI way of life and should demand extreme action in response.

As neighboring countries like Haiti becomes more and more unstable, citizens will continue to seek refuge and so will the criminals. With the presence of the British Navy ship that was recently dispatched to our waters, many citizens felt a sign of relief.

Frankly speaking, it needs to go beyond just a show of force. On the back drop of what is happening in our country, we should consider the alternative, this ship should remain in position until the country can stabilize this mayhem and provide adequate border security. More than ever before, our country is at a much higher risk of becoming unstable and in reality, our future depends on it.

A lot of what is happening is a flashpoint for much larger questions over what TCI policing should look like. Law-abiding citizens need stronger protection or we will become sitting targets.

We the people, will have to decide do we just sit on the sidelines or get more involved with demanding viable solutions. We condemn this violence without equivocation, but what’s more important is that law enforcement wins this battle with unwavering support and efforts to maintain law and order especially in those high risk communities. Perhaps we should start with accountability at all levels, foresight and results driven leadership.

Stiffer fines and penalties is the rhetoric being proposed as one of the solutions on gun control. Is this the only way out? In retrospect what have we learned from the previous increase in penalties? Will it resonate this time with would-be criminals or become just another catchy phrase?

Our young people who have hope of a better life are not attracted to senseless acts of violence. Henceforth, more focus needs to be on our youth and find ways to engage them before it gets to that stage or our prisons will only become a revolving door.

Kudos to the law makers on unanimously passing the Anti-gang bill. However, I have reservations concerning the recent firearms amendment bill which mandates a minimum 12 year prison sentence for the mere possession of an unlicensed firearm.

Based on the trajectory of arrest and charges, it will only lead to mass incarceration. Not only does our prison lack the capacity, but it will lead to more socioeconomic problems for displaced families and also only open the doors to human rights abuse.

Who was this law designed to protect? It’s certainly not law abiding citizens. Although it has good intentions and makes great sound bites, in some cases, it boils down to having a bark without a bite. While in other cases, it could negatively impact the sector of society we are actually trying to help.

We must find other alternatives and long-term solutions. It was very encouraging to see the recent prison initiative that was proposed by Honorable Taylor and Honorable Morris.

Giving prisoners the opportunity to develop skill-based training by partnering with the local community college is brilliant. This will help to prepare them to reintegrate into society upon release, and another chance to become productive citizens. These are the kinds of programs that need steam.

In most cases, hardened criminals are undeterred by stiffer penalties and often times unaware of changes in the laws because it’s not publicized enough or they frankly don’t care or will find work-arounds like preying on our youth. Therefore, more public awareness campaign could be beneficial and maybe we can save a life before other lives are lost.

What this article is intended to do, is to stimulate a much needed conversation about the role of our criminal justice system in creating public policies that are both efficient and effective. Policies that not only have short term gains, but long term positive impact on an ever-changing society.

Ed Forbes

Concerned citizen of Grand Turk