CRY FOUL

Think about how much the global financial and economic situation is already impacting Anguilla, causing so much stress and uncertainty to a myriad of businesses, workers, their families and the Government in terms of livelihood and revenue collections respectively. Add to that concern the crime situation which is threatening to further worsen the plight of this small island state as it struggles somehow to move forward.

The sum total of all of this will be disastrous unless we are able to control or put down the criminal activities of those who seem to think that they can get away with their dishonest machinations and brutal acts of armed and violent robbery and burglary, distressing the lives of innocent and hardworking people.

Far too many of these despicable cases are occurring in Anguilla, not to mention other islands, and what is disturbing is that a number of them remain unsolved largely because of the sophistication of the crimes. It is a terrible psychological experience for victims of robbery or burglary especially when, to add insult to injury, the hapless persons are mercilessly beaten as has occurred quite recently.

The sad thing about some of these violent crimes is not only the bad publicity they engender, but the hardships encountered when some businesses may have to be closed for recovery whether for a short or extended period. This puts the businesses and their employees in a difficult situation as they suddenly find themselves unable to generate income and to meet their financial obligations.
Addresses in relation to Police Week, now coming to a close, have been heavily focused on combating crime in Anguilla, and the need for public support and cooperation, as well as that of Government agencies and others, in the fight to protect the community and to bring criminals to justice. It is a battle we must win. Certainly, the criminals, armed, masked or otherwise hardcore, are not unstoppable. Somehow the arm of the law must grab them at all cost and the courts must punish them to the fullest extent of the Criminal Code.

We call on the Royal Anguilla Police Force, other law enforcement agencies and the general public, to approach the foul crime situation with renewed vigour. Together, let us determine to remove this scourge from our small developing society. At the same time, it is by no means a show of weakness to appeal to the misdirected perpetrators of these acts of criminality to desist from their actions and to seek honest and gainful employment thus enriching their own lives and abandoning the paths of plunder and dishonesty.