fp Turks and Caicos

On Tuesday, here in Turks and Caicos, as part of an unprecedented “crime spree” three (3) establishments were robbed within a few hours, not to say a few miles of each other and another six (6) were burglarized the night before. These included, Butterfield Foodstore, Caicos Oil’s office and one of its petrol stations owned by The Hon. McAlister Hanchell, MP, Minister for Lands and Environment, Provo Travel; a business own by the wife of The Hon. Galmo Williams MP, Minister for Immigration and amongst others.

We all know that crime is bad – to speak euphemistically – and that it has an impact on public perception both locally, and internationally; specifically amongst potential visitors and investors. This must be considered against the backdrop of everything going on in this region and Turks and Caicos itself; from the private troubles of our Premier, The Hon. Dr. Michel E. Misick, MP, to the impacts of last year’s hurricanes, to The Commission of Inquiry, now this crime spree and regionally, a voluptuous increase in violent crime in Jamaica and the Bahamas, not to mention the surreal episodes surrounding Mr. John Travolta.

All this in the midst of as severe an economic downturn as there has ever been in these ramparts. Here in Turks and Caicos, people seemed less afraid than angry. Angry, when in their minds, a juxtaposition formed between what has been revealed in the Commission of Inquiry, in respect the use of resources in the Turks and Caicos, and the apparent lack of resources which may have played a part in this week’s crimes.

Opinions range widely, however, there is a “feel” that the police reacted slowly. The feeling moved to anger – expressed mostly privately – after a statement released by the police suggested that the public “be careful” and remain “indoors.” In the IGA a lady commenting to Free Press reporters said: “This is Turks and Caicos. We don’t lock our doors!”

Part of the problem is illegal immigration, which the British are said to have been active in solving these many months. And since the Free Press has written of Turks and Caicos’s next stage economic opportunity will be to develop a vibrant retirement home industry, the lady in IGA seems right to us; that this is a place in which the feeling must be, even if the practice is not, that people can leave their doors unlocked.

It was believed that non-nationals carried out the robberies and the previous burglaries. As such the relationship between the crime spree and the immigration issue here in Turks and Caicos are being explored.

Given our opportunity here in Turks and Caicos to re-position our economy, and in light of all the unfortunate news now besetting us, failure to deal adequately with this problem, would amount to a crime against ourselves.