We are under a threat and should be treated as such

Introduction

Hurricane Fiona was a threat to the Turks and Caicos Islands and so the National Disaster Committee was activated and headed by Acting Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams and was able to engage various stakeholders and many volunteers to address and develop plans to deal with Hurricane Fiona.

I believe the crime situation in the Turks and Caicos is a national crisis and should be treated also as an emergency. Therefore, we need to engage various stakeholders. I know there is a National Security Council in the Turks and Caicos of which comprises some of the following members: the Governor, the Premier, Commissioner of Police, the Superintendent of Her Majesty Prison and the Attorney General. However, this council needs to be expanded and should include individuals from the Labour Department, Social Welfare and Education. There should also be a subcommittee of other stakeholders such as pastors, parents and volunteers.

The National council and the subcommittee should develop strategies to deal with crime situation and should meet as frequently as possible like what the National Disaster did during and after the preparation of Hurricane Fiona.

We are under a threat

I think the threat of murders in our country is more dangerous than the threat of a Hurricane. I made that statement because there were no fatalities over the last couple of years from Hurricanes. However, we have 8 murders already in September and 18 for the year. When you compared this to our population, this is very high per capita and is higher than our neighbours.

The murder of one person is a threat to our country let alone 18. In 2021, there were 13, 22 in 2020, 13 in 2019, 8 in 2018 and 4 in 2017. If we do not get this under control, this will become a way of life for some individuals and this of course will be a threat to the residents. Some may argue and say that it is not threat to them because they are minding their own business, but we cannot take anything for granted because we do not what is going on in the minds of individuals and furthermore, you may be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Many of the victims are young Turks and Caicos Islanders men and if that is not a threat, then I don’t know what that is.

Our economy is totally dependent on tourism and when the news of this threat becomes public, this can be deterrent for tourists. We promote the Turks and Caicos as a safe destination but if this rate continues, we cannot longer say it is safe and so this is a major threat. While these murders are not taking place in the areas where tourists stay, but if it is not controlled, it can possibly happen anywhere and furthermore once Turks and Caicos is mentioned with the number of murders, it will not matter where the murders are taking place.

Treat the situation as an emergency and disaster

I think the various stakeholders did their job in planning and preparing for the Hurricane. It is time now that the relevant authorities do their jobs in dealing with crime. It is time that the Government, the Governor, the Police, Various Government Departments, and parents treat this as a crisis. We need to burn the midnight oil and strategize because what we are doing now is not working. Ultimately the Police is responsible for catching these criminals. I don’t know what is going on behind the scenes, but the Police is not caching the criminals. The Social Welfare need to work with the labour Department and Education to formalize a strategy to deal with the root causes of crime. We need to pressure the Government continuously to deal with crime and make that their priority and they need to take some drastic steps.

We don’t know who in this country is. We don’t have a database of fingerprints in this country. We are not hearing from the Police often enough. Don’t wait until a murder takes place. Of course, we do not expect the police to tell the public all their plans as it can jeopardize their security plans but the public needs to see some actions such as the arrests of the right individuals.

There needs to be constant communication with the public. There must be constant visibility of the police in the community. Our borders need to be checked daily as too many drugs and guns are entering the country. We need some social programs that are effective.

Conclusion

I believe we can alleviate the crime situation in this country. However, it does not appear to be a priority and it only becomes a priority a few days when a crime takes place. This is an emergency, and the Government should treat the crime situation as an emergency. The people must demand this daily.

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 “A review of Tipping Point, a book written by Malcolm Gladwell

Introduction

The recent murders of five individuals are creating a lot of talks among individuals. Of course, there is a lot of blaming and pointing fingers and as usual it is also political. Everybody on the outside including myself seems to have the solutions but history has shown us when some of these individuals become the decision makers, there is no change. This tells me there is a greater problem we are not addressing, and that problem is the root causes of crime. If we can deal with the root causes of crime and start doing some small things, we can significantly reduce crime in our society. With that said, a client of mine introduced me to book called Tipping Point written by Malcolm Gladwell.

A review of the Tipping Point

In the book, the author demonstrated how small things made a big difference in fashion trends and crime through something called social epidemic in which the behaviours of individuals spread like viruses. In other words, people imitate others, and it spreads like wildfire. Social epidemic comprises of three main laws, the law of the Few, the stickiness factor and the power of context. In the law of the few, a few people are making a difference through their influences. These people have a connection with other people. In the stickiness factor, you must have something that is memorable or addictive that will attract others. In the power of context, it is referring to the sensitivity of the environment.

The book also described the Broken Window Theory in which “if a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge.” Soon thereafter, more windows will be broken and will lead to more serious crimes. In New York there was a lot of graffiti in the train station, and it was not a focus on solving crimes. However, as soon as the police started paying attention to the graffiti and start cleaning it up and painting it over, it sent a message to the vandals and as soon as the police start addressing it, the vandals stop doing the graffiti. Another example is that some kids were jumping over the turnstiles and not paying the fare to get on a train. No attention was given to this but as soon as the police paid attention to this, individuals stopped jumping over the turnstiles and start paying the fare. All of these are examples of how these small things reduced the crime level in New York significantly.

The state of crime in the Turks and Caicos

I believe the crime in the Turks and Caicos started by a few people. However, these few people became very influential and were able to attract other people to commit these crimes. I am not convinced it is due to lack of employment or lack of trade and skills because some of these individuals committing these crimes are employed. The situation is that these individuals are being influenced by others and committing a crime is a way of life for them. They do not fear the police because they believe the police is not doing anything and so they continue with their bad habits. I believe the visibility of the police in communities will reduce our crimes. Because the police are not visible, the criminals are taking over and getting away with murders. The criminals must be fearful of the police and the visibility of the police with firearms in their possessions will deter the criminals. This is a small act that can have a significant impact on the crime situation. The visibility must not only be in Five Cays but throughout the communities in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Another small thing we can do as a community is to ensure that families return to the basics which is to go to church. Many people no longer believe in the word of God and many people are bringing children up without taking them to church and as a result a big hole has created allowing the devil to come in and start a spiritual warfare destroy the minds of our young people. If we can get our people in church, it can make a significant difference.

In 2018, the Government at that time started something called Operation Guardian which was successful in dealing with illegal sloops, illegal individuals and the inspection of homes and job sites. This should be reintroduced, and I believe a small initiative like this will make a big impact on reducing crime.

I also think that we need to introduce and teach crime prevention in elementary, secondary, and tertiary schools. Furthermore, we need to identify some young people in the community who are doing positive things and encourage them to influence others. The same way criminals are influencing others, so can non-criminals.

Conclusion

I encourage each of you to read the book, the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. It just takes a few small things to reduce the crime level in the TCI. This Government and successive governments have spent millions of dollars on the resources that the police say they need to tackle crime, but crime continues to increase. We need to find these criminals and when we find them, it will send a strong message to others. Because these criminals are not being found, they continue to commit these violent acts. Somebody knows what is going on, but no one is saying anything and as a result crime continues to escalate. However, if we can start doing some small things, we can catch these criminals and we can also reduce the crime situation in TCI.

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