News
New Year’s Message
Good Day, Turks and Caicos Islands,
I welcome this opportunity to address you as we stand on the cusp of a New Year.
It is a time for reflection, gratitude, and determination as we collectively chart a path toward a brighter future.
2024 was a difficult year in policing. We lost several young men to gang violence, and innocent lives were felled by the use of illegal firearms.
To the families who lost loved ones, accept our condolences. I know that our words may ring hollow, but the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is doing everything possible to bring you closure.
I wish to pay tribute to the vast majority of our law-abiding and industrious citizens, who, through individual and collective efforts, have contributed to the progress of our beautiful by nature Turks and Caicos Islands over the past year.
Your resilience, hard work, and unity remain the foundation upon which we continue to build our nation.
I am confident that, in the year ahead, we will work together to ensure further development and progress while successfully overcoming the challenges that lie before us. The most pressing of these challenges is the level of criminal activity in our communities.
Ongoing gang wars have driven our murder rate to concerning levels, and we continue to be confronted by a small number of heartless individuals among us. However, we refuse to be defined or defeated by these challenges.
During a media briefing two weeks ago, I outlined the various steps we are taking to address crime alongside my executive team and senior leadership. These measures include enhancing the efficiency and capacity of our law enforcement agencies with increased manpower, equipment, training, and the integration of advanced technology. We also benefit from robust cooperation with our local, regional, and international partners.
Let me assure you that we will relentlessly pursue our current strategies while developing new initiatives to curb crime. We will not rest until the citizens, visitors, and investors of the Turks and Caicos Islands feel safe and secure.
As we enter 2025, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force will embark on a transformative journey under the banner:
“Reigniting Progress: Transformation Unveiled.”
This transformative process will redefine who we are and how we deliver our services. It is time for the Force to undergo a much-needed metamorphosis and emerge as the reliable, trusted, and professional organization that our people deserve.
We are committed to becoming:
A reliable Force
A trusted Force
A Force with the highest standards
A Force that protects and serves with pride and integrity
A Professional Force
As gatekeepers of security, our vision is to make the Turks and Caicos Islands a safe and secure place to live, visit, and invest. We will uphold our core values of Respect, Transparency, Compassion, Integrity, Professionalism, Discipline, and Fairness as we pursue this mission.
Our strategic objectives for 2025 and beyond will focus on the following pillars:
Prevention and Reduction of Crime
We will enhance intelligence capabilities and improve crime reporting standards.
We will collaborate with partner agencies to develop comprehensive crime prevention strategies that integrate witness protection, offender management, diversion programs, and community education.
Tackling Local and Transnational Crime
To safeguard our borders, we will enhance drone and fixed-wing capabilities and ensure that officers are equipped and deployed to address priority areas effectively.
Developing Our People and Workforce
We will thoroughly review workforce capabilities, focusing on training, deployment, and equipment to ensure officers are prepared and empowered to serve.
Optimizing Technology and Collaboration
We will embrace modern technologies to support our objectives while closely collaborating with communities, partners, and stakeholders.
Working in collaboration with Communities and Stakeholders
With a revised strategy, we will enhance the Community Policing programme and increase the multi-agency neighbourhood scheme, school engagement, restorative justice, and community groups. We will also implement a robust media campaign to increase awareness, community communication, and intelligence. We believe in the rule of law for all.
I remind all law-abiding citizens that safety and security are not just the responsibility of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force—they are a shared mission. Together, we must stand united against crime. I encourage each of you to play your part in building a safer, stronger Turks and Caicos Islands.
As we look forward to 2025, let us embrace transformation, resilience, and hope.
May God bless every one of you. May God bless our beautiful-by-nature Turks and Caicos Islands.
Best wishes for the New Year. May it bring peace, progress, and prosperity to all.
TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response
PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.
Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.
That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.
Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.
He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.
Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.
Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.
Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.
Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.
His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?
NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.
NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.
“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.
The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”
The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.
NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Americas has recorded 47,459 confirmed measles cases and 44 deaths in 2026, the region’s highest case count in 22 years, prompting the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to urge stronger vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response.
As of July 18, cases were already more than triple the 15,011 recorded during all of 2025. Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Peru
account for 95% of confirmed cases. Guatemala leads with 30,371 cases and 26 deaths, followed by Mexico with 12,255 cases and 17 deaths.
PAHO classifies the regional public health risk as very high, citing active outbreaks, immunity gaps, international travel and populations with inadequate vaccination coverage.
The organization says prevention starts with vaccination. Countries are being urged to achieve and maintain at least 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, particularly protecting children and under-vaccinated communities.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash.
PAHO is urging health authorities to detect suspected cases early and respond rapidly to stop transmission. Unvaccinated and under-vaccinated people, young children and communities with limited healthcare access face increased risk of severe illness and death.
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