News
Name the Gangs. Disrupt Recruitment. Maybe then, we put a dent in Serious Crime
By Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
#TurksandCaicos, June 22, 2023 – It has been nine months since the Turks and Caicos was informed by the Governor that gangs were behind an unsettling string of brutal murders which forced groundbreaking changes in crime fighting legislation and resulted in the death of a number of innocent people including a tourist to the islands. Yet there remains no official information on any gang operating anywhere in the TCI.
It is a startling reality which springs to mind as murders are again on the increase. It’s also inescapable given the court cases which are daily revealing that young teens are being hauled before judges and facing serious firearms and drug offences.
Four people killed in just over a week in Providenciales. Before that, the National Security Council had reported that
of the seven murders at the time, five were linked.
These facts re-ignite concerns about the ability of leaders to not only suppress crime but to get to the root of it.
Magnetic Media has asked these questions before, getting no response and no acknowledgement of the need to know what the islands are dealing with when it comes to gangs.
We’ve asked, ‘How many gangs are there? What are these gangs called? Where are they operating? How are they recruiting our boys?’
And now, given the past year and the new wave of killings, it’s important to hear what preventative steps are being taken and what investment is being made in disrupting recruitment of young men, in particular, from choosing a life of ‘organised’ crime.
We have already begun revisit this line of questioning because accountability demands it.
So far, there has been no information provided though the public deserves to know more about the gangs fingered for the rampant violence which has snatched away 30 lives over these months; including a grandfather, young mothers, an NAACP leader, beloved sons and uncles, fathers and friends and yes, even a toddler and unborn child.
***MEDIA RELEASE***
Turks and Caicos, 28th April 2025 – On Saturday, April 26th, 2025, officers from the Marine Branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RT&CIPF) responded to a report of illegal migrants spotted in the mangrove area along the southeastern side of North Caicos.
The United States Coast Guard (Air Support Unit), the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment, and the Department of Fisheries and Marine
Resources Management supported the operation.
Upon arrival at the location, RT&CIPF officers apprehended eleven (11) male individuals, all confirmed to be of Haitian nationality.
The individuals were detained and transported to Providenciales, where they were handed over to officers from Border Force for processing and further investigation.
We continue to urge members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious maritime or coastal activity to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force by calling 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 to provide information anonymously.
Additionally, individuals are encouraged to download the Crime Stoppers P3 app to share information.
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