His Excellency The Acting Governor Encourages Collective Response To Anguilla's Crime Situation

The recent violent robberies which have occurred throughout Anguilla have caused significant concern among residents and visitors to the island. It has not gone unnoticed that a number of short term visitors to the island have been the victims of these crimes. While we must be concerned to ensure the safety of all persons who dwell within our shores we cannot help but be cognizant of the effect crimes of this nature, committed against short term visitors, can have on our tourism industry and therefore our individual economic wellbeing.

Clearly it is imperative that we act collectively (as a nation, as institutions and as individuals) to safeguard ourselves and our property as well as the persons we encourage to visit our shores. The Royal Anguilla Police Force has been charged with serving and protecting us. The members of the Force have been and intend to continue to do all within their power to address the crime situation on the island. The Ministers of Government have pledged to give them their full support as they carry out their charge. For the past six to eight weeks, members of the RAPF have been working a six day week and have been assisted by three retired UK police officers who are in Anguilla at the behest of the Commissioner of Police and at the sole expense of the Government of Anguilla.

The Royal Anguilla Police Force does not work in a vacuum. The members of the Force are dependent on the assistance of the community to be successful in the execution of their duties. One is sometimes left with the impression that the community expects success from the police without the involvement of civilians. This is unrealistic and is tantamount to tying the officers’ arms behind their backs, blindfolding them and then requiring them to still somehow serve and protect us. As a community we must resolve to work with our Police Force, if we are to successfully address our crime situation. The Police Force must in turn earn our ready cooperation through their conduct in their investigations and by their relations with those who assist them in their investigations.

We however should not rely solely on the Royal Anguilla Police Force to ensure our safety. There are measures we can and should take as individuals to ensure that we come to no harm in our homes. It is troubling to note that in all but one of the recent robberies entry was gained to the victims’ homes through an open door or window. Simply taking the time to ensure that all our doors and windows are secure before retiring at night can make the difference between a pleasant night’s sleep and a traumatic experience. We can clearly, no longer labour under the misapprehension that it is safe to leave our homes open, because Anguilla is crime free or very nearly crime free. We have a responsibility to ourselves and our households to take reasonable precautions to ensure our personal safety.

Our tourism institutions must also play a significant role in our response to the crime situation on the island. It was heartening to hear at a meeting with representatives of these institutions on Friday 18th May that significant steps have already been taken in that regard. The Tourist Board and the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association are actively engaged in determining how best to ensure that visitors are encouraged to visit our shores while at the same time impressing upon those who provide accommodation for the visitors and the visitors themselves that standard security measures should be observed.

While the attributes that have made Anguilla a great place to live and to visit are still very much evident in daily life in Anguilla, we must also recognize that certain negative lifestyles have begun to gain a foothold in our communities. These negative lifestyles have the potential to erode our community spirit and our general desire to promote ourselves by dint of hard work and perseverance. While striving to regain our community of old we must at the same time take realistic measures to address the negative lifestyles exhibited by some in our communities.
All persons in Anguilla are encouraged to be supportive of the Royal Anguilla Police Force and to take all reasonable precautions to ensure their own personal well being on a daily basis. This attitude needs to become second nature since we are always likely to have persons in our communities who are willing to exhibit negative lifestyles, rather than securing their futures through an honest day’s work.

The members of Royal Anguilla Police Force will remain vigilant and committed as they strive to serve and protect us. So too, as individuals and institutions we must remain vigilant and committed to ensuring our own safety and the safety of persons who choose to visit our shores.