Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

Turks and Caicos, August 14, 2024 – The Opposition leader last week accused the Premier and the elected PNP Administration of neglect, complacency and underfunding in the face of a crime crisis.

The scathing review is elevated now with news of the country’s 27^th murder recorded this past weekend; and the nature of the most recent homicides:  Reginald Forbes, a 71-year-old man and Nical Pierre, a 47-year-old woman; Forbes gunned down in Five Cays on Sunday August 11 and the TCIAA employee shot multiple times in her home in Grand Turk on Sunday August 4.

“The time for excuses and delays has passed. The time for action is now. The people of the Turks and Caicos Islands are looking to their elected leaders for guidance, for protection, and for justice. We the PDM will not fail nor abandon our people in their hour of need,” said Edwin Astwood in a statement issued on August 8.

Astwood said in his capacity on the House Appropriations Committee, he is privy to presentations by the Royal TCI Police and other security forces which expose inadequate funding.

“It is unacceptable that Budget cycle after budget cycle the Premier and his PNP government have not prioritized building local competency and capacity within our security forces to ensure that they are well-equipped to address the challenges we face. I can affirm this occurrence as I have sat on the Appropriations Committee for the past four budget presentations and have continually questioned the underfunding, differing, and defunding of resources for our Law enforcement agencies.”

The Opposition Leader, who is the sitting member for Grand Turk South itemized what he believes are the needs of the Police and the Regiment.

“…, the PDM strongly believes that our Turks & Caicos Islands must have in-house forensic capabilities and a fully functioning crime lab, with the needed staff and technologies. We need our facial recognition technologies in place. These options and others we the PDM will continue to present, and when the time comes, we will make those transformations,” explained Astwood on behalf of his party.

While he called for unity, he was also prepared to place blame on the current government administration for ‘inaction’ which he and his party believes has worked to swell the incidence of gun crime.

“The Premier and his government have allowed this epidemic of violence to fester on their watch without taking the necessary steps to change course. It is an indisputable fact that Gun Violence and Crime are at their highest rate ever under Premier Missick and his PNP government leadership. The lack of arrests, the absence of a coherent strategy, and the failure to adequately support our law enforcement agencies, including the Police Force and the TCI Regiment, are clear signs of their dereliction of duty,” he said.

For the PNP Government, there was a charge by Astwood:  “I challenge the Premier and his government to step up, to take bold action, and to show genuine leadership in the face of this crisis. Lip service and empty promises are no longer enough. We need tangible actions, clear communication, meaningful consultations, and robust collaboration to serve and protect our people, our businesses, and our communities.”

The PDM expressed that their experiences with the general public have revealed there is a general fear and a feeling of forlornness, as leaders give the issue of crime abatement, “lip service” and have demonstrated only a “dereliction of duty.”

In its most recent report on a July 30, 2024 National Security Council meeting, the Governor and Premier as co-chairs of the entity said this about police progress in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“Members were briefed by the Commissioner of Police on the crime picture across each island, operational updates on investigations and various aspects of policing and national security initiatives, highlighting the expansion of TCI’s radar coverage.

The National Security Council approved a proposal to fund a deployment of experienced officers to strengthen tactical operations, building resilience and capability within the force.”

The PDM believes a transformation in national security management is required alongside, “tangible actions, clear communication, meaningful consultations, and robust collaboration to serve and protect our people, our businesses, and our communities.”