Government
MP Rachel Taylor promises to Advocate for police station in Five Cays
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, July 17, 2023 – A commitment to advocating for a 24-hr police station in Five Cays was the response to the public from Rachel Taylor, Member Parliament for Five Cays, after the brutal murder of another young man in the district that has been plagued by violence for years.
Days before Taylor’s letter, Magnetic Media had received an emotional piece of correspondence penned by residents imploring not only Taylor but the PNP government and Police Commissioner to listen to the residents’ concerns, as they continued to suffer.
We shared that message with Taylor but got no response.
In her statement via the MPs Facebook page, she maintained that she was very much aware of the situation.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am again burdened to address this plague of deadly violence that struggles to go away. I am not ignorant of the fact that the issue of violence continues to be a complex dilemma affecting not only our community,” Taylor said.
Condemning the violence that is concentrated in her constituency she made additional promises to residents.
“As the Minister of Youth, I will continue to work closely with our police, pastors, youth leaders, and other civic leaders to discover and explore opportunities for cultivating a positive and productive culture among our young
Taylor acknowledged that her letter was insufficient in the face of the crime wave
“I know that writing a press release is not the needed fix to our violence problem. I write nonetheless because I believe it is important that in times like these, the people who have placed their trust in me to advocate for our community, need and deserve to be reassured that their representative not only mourns with them but continues to fight for them. It is in times like these I have a moral and civic duty not to remain silent,” she said.
And for some residents the static communication was not enough. Comments on Taylors post maintained that tangible effort and more face to face communication was needed by leaders.
One resident said: “Thank you for your concerns and prayers. A letter was sent to the Premier, the police, and yourself requesting a sit down face to face meeting with the community of five cays to address crime and so many other issues that is destroying the community of five cays, and we are still awaiting a response from all mentioned above, as a matter of fact the premier said that he will meet with you and the police but a meeting with the people was never mentioned. Can you please say when will a meeting of such take place?”
Another resident said, “Many of us share your thoughts and concerns Hon Taylor. It will take more than new armored vehicles in this community to stop this madness.”
Sadly, Five Cays and Blue Hills, Providenciales have been the communities where the majority of the murders of the past year were committed.