By Honorable Oswald Skippings
#TurksandCaicos, February 20, 2023 – My people, our nation is in trouble, and until such time as we realize that our greatest problem is colonialism, we will continue to regress and suffer.
The deliberate dismantling of our police institutions by our British appointed governors and police Commissioners, is now taking its toll nationwide.
There is a noticeable increase of strange faces on the streets of Grand Turk. Furthermore, unoccupied residences in Grand Turk are now being illegally occupied by strangers.
I have informed the Turks and Caicos people before of the dismantling of the police air wing in Grand Turk and the commissioner of police costing the government millions of dollars in a questionable transaction regarding an aircraft and there was nothing to be said or done about it. There was no accountability whatsoever because he is not a Turks
and Caicos Islander. Dismantling this air wing resulted in no air surveillance to detect illegal boats in our waters.
Additionally, the police commissioner dismantled the police marine branch in Grand Turk, thereby eliminating all marine patrol protecting the shores in Grand Turk. Not to mention the rapid reduction of police officers in the Nation’s Capital.
However, one should not be surprised considering the governor’s adamant vocal support of increasing the population. Equally concerning is also talk of legalizing illegals. There is virtually no security control mechanisms in Grand Turk to deal with this looming escalating problem and it is obvious that the careless Governor, the incompetent commissioner of police and the British Government could care less.
This nationwide national security problem that was obviously deliberately created by the Governor and commissioner of police speaks volumes. Their charade includes the closing of the police station in Five Cays Providenciales where most of the violent crimes now take place, the closing of the police station in Blue Hills in the same Island, the closing of the police stations in both the islands of Middle Caicos and Salt Cay, where there is absolutely no police presence.
It does not take a genius to determine that with escalating development, there is need for increased police presence instead of diminished police presence. My people, we need to realize that Colonialism is still not working in our favor and there is an urgent need to begin to properly plan to shed ourselves of this oppressive burden.