These days the weekly criminal reports by the Police in Anguilla are rife with incidents of theft and burglary which by definition in law are not really one and the same. At times there are up to 10 stolen cases and half the number of burglaries at business places and private homes across the island. The frequency and sometimes the level of sophistication with which they are occurring may be generally alarming. At that rate the court system may soon become clogged with the number of these cases on the books and the prison cells filled with offenders.

One regrets that it was necessary to expand the island’s prison facility to reduce the overcrowding as more persons are being incarcerated but in today’s society, everywhere, increased criminal activity is a reality. Why, however, are stealing and burglary cases becoming so prevalent in Anguilla when there are such low levels of poverty, a fair range of employment opportunities for a mix of abilities and a place where begging is not a part of the society?

It is not for a lack of punishment either or that the law is weak. Granted the brutal and inhumane Islamic law has no place in our society, but our Criminal Code is quite rigid in its application and provision of sentences. One wonders whether offenders are aware that anyone found guilty of theft is liable on summary conviction (in the Magistrate’s Court) to 2 years imprisonment and on conviction on indictment (in the High Court) to 10 years.

Further, a person convicted of burglary is liable on conviction to imprisonment for 14 years. Some times offenders may get off lightly for one or more reasons, but it is only when the law is enforced to its fullest extent that the problems of this type of dishonesty can be curtailed.
Some people believe that money and goods are being stolen by young law breakers to fund their cravings for drugs. Others think that while this may be true in some cases the thefts may also be for different reasons. The thinking is that there are persons who do not work and have no sources of income but yet appear to be living it up. They are driving around in rentals at weekends, dining in restaurants and travelling to St.Martin/St. Maarten to purchase name-brand clothes and shoes and expensive jewellery. The observations and assumptions may all be wrong, but it makes one wonder where the money is coming from.

What can be done to curb this incidence of theft and burglary on the island? It has become something of a recitation hearing and reading these kinds of police reports. It is time that one hears about the handing down of prison sentences on the offenders as well. Such information can act as a deterrent to would be thieves and burglars. The difficulty facing the small media houses in Anguilla is that their human resources are too inadequate to allow them to sit in the Magistrate’s Court some times for a whole day or more to report on one matter. May be someone in the judiciary can assist in furnishing the information that the public is often requesting.

It is hoped that with increasing job opportunities on the island that our young people would not follow the path of dishonesty but seek gainful employment within the scope of their abilities. Robbery must not be a way of life for some persons on the island. It is a shameful practice on the part of offenders and for the victims it creates both a feeling of insecurity and loss – as well as anger. The robbers must either mend their ways on their own volition or be forced to do so by the enforcement of the law without leniency or eventually through some form of rehabilitation programming.

Whichever comes first, it is necessary to address this scourge in our society before it gets out of hand.

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