Address Social Problems Or Perish

Nowadays there are some serious social occurrences in Anguilla which raise eyebrows as our people, caught in disbelief, declare that they could not conceive that such things would happen here. Who, for instance, would think that a prisoner or prisoners, having allegedly cut through a cell iron gate, would tie up their guards, grab the keys of the prison facility and make good their escape in a guard’s vehicle and then in a boat to a neighbouring island? Probably it sounds like a tale from the “Wild West” but it is a matter which the Anguilla Government, police and prison officials here, with assistance from St.Martin/St.Maarten lawmen, are dealing with today.

Andy Otto sentenced to life for double murder and Steve Bryan, on remand and charged with murder and rape, have committed a breach of prison security that is unbelievable, daring and foreign to Anguilla. Imagine that after 16 years of confinement Otto, rather than settling down to pay his debt to society and showing remorse, would choose to escape from his prison cell. Then in the case of Bryan, he was just about to appear in court for the preliminary inquiry but chose to commit such an act which can only prejudice his case in the eyes of the law and the citizenry of Anguilla. That both prisoners were described by law enforcement personnel as being “considered armed and dangerous”, speaks to the type of persons they are.

The prison break could have been worse if it had been extended to other cells, but thankfully not all prisoners are alike in their intent and behaviour. It is known that there are a number of inmates who are on the road to reformation, are living productive lives as much as the system allows them and are trustworthy. These must be encouraged for after all one of the reasons for their imprisonment is to help them to reform their way of life.

The escape of Otto and Bryan and the methods they used show that there are some serious matters of prison security to deal with. People are talking for instance about the wire fencing through which objects could be pushed onto the prison grounds and the ease of communications the fence provides between prisoners and persons who may breach security. It is a matter for the investigators to determine how one of the escaped prisoners was allegedly able to get hold of, whether from inside or outside, a hacksaw blade to cut off the bolts holding his cell gate to the concrete wall of the prison thus rendering the lock ineffective.

One of the sad and strange things about a developing society is that as it progresses, the crime level for some reason also appears to increase. Anguilla is changing rapidly and is making great strides forward as it enters the 21st Century. The battle between good and evil is also intensifying and if good is to triumph there must be some serious stock-taking and remedial measures to combat the forces of darkness as humanly and spiritually possible.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Victor Banks, alluded to the malady of our situation in his Budget Address on Tuesday this week. He made the following statement: “The progress achieved in Angulla on the economic and general development front has been tainted by a very disturbing trend in capital crimes and in other violent and very serious criminal behaviour. We need to develop and support, with the required resources, a well thought out and sustained short, medium and long term programme to address this highly dangerous phenomenon in our midst.” This cannot be better said and it is a statement that Government, social organisations, churches, their ministers and all persons should endorse and work towards.

Time is running out. Anguilla has come a very long way from being considered “a backwater in the Caribbean” to a gem with an excellent economic development outlook to the envy or admiration of some of its neighbours. Should we now, like the fabled milking cow, kick up the “pail of milk” we have so ably and diligently produced? God forbid. We must all come together to address the tide of social problems that threatens to drown the progress we have laboured so hard to achieve or perish in failure.