Two top officers of the Royal Anguilla Police Force announced on Wednesday this week that with immediate effect the police will be responding to demands by the public for more information on criminal activity through regular press briefings.
The pledge was made by Deputy Commissioner Illidge Richardson and Superintendent Rudolph Proctor, who is also Head of the Drugs and Firearms Task Force. Following the announcement, they took turns to report on various matters of crime on the island.

L-R: Deputy Commissioner Richardson and Superintendent Proctor

Richardson said the police were doing everything in their power to allay the fears of members of the expatriate community and nationals who recently reported a spate of robberies and attacks and to bring the perpetrators to justice. He said that Ossie Hodge of Roaches Hill, thought to be 17-years was arrested, charged and remanded in custody for committing a burglary at Sandy Ground. With respect to the recent burglaries at Cauls Bottom and the Farrington, a quantity of stolen jewellery was recovered and a suspect is to be charged shortly.

He reported that rewards of EC$50,000 were being offered for information leading to the successful prosecution with respect to the murder of Elaine Phillips (February 15, 2007) at Hideaway Grocery earlier this year; and the murders of Roger Clarke alias Pressure King (September 2003), Courtney Hodge (February 2004) and Kwamie Brooks (March 2006).

Proctor said the police were waiting on results of a DNA analysis on exhibits retrieved from the scene where Elaine Phillips was shot and killed. The exhibits were sent to the Forensic Laboratory in Jamaica. Some preliminary results received will be discussed with the Attorney General’s Chambers before another step is taken.

He stated that with respect to burglaries in the expatriate community a number of suspects were interviewed over the past weeks, some have been released and exhibits collected at the scenes relating to some of the suspects in custody were sent off for forensic analysis.
According to him, the Drugs and Firearms Task Force is vigorously pursuing persons suspected of involvement in drugs and firearms activity. “We have had some success over the past months with regard to drugs and are appealing to members of the public for any information they may have on firearms, ammunition and drugs,” he stated. He was grateful that, during the latter half of last year, many Anguillians had broken the culture of silence by informing the police about certain criminal activities and he expressed the hope that this cooperation would continue.

Richardson reported that Government had given approval for the membership of the Police Force to be increased to 100, a big jump from the present complement of 77. Advertisements in Anguilla brought little or no response and as a result he and Inspector Hodge travelled to Dominica and Grenada where a number of persons were interviewed for recruitment. Fourteen recruits will be sent to Barbados for 22 weeks of training beginning May 7. They comprise one from Anguilla, six from Dominica and seven from Grenada. He hoped that by the end of the year there would be 96 members in the Force with four additional vacancies reserved for young Anguillians coming out of school.

“The Royal Anguilla Police Force has stepped up its high visibility policing both day and night throughout Anguilla and in some communities that are more prone to criminal activity,” Proctor said. “There are a number of residences that are spread out in various communities in Anguilla. We are working closely with the Tourist Board which has provided us with a map of the villas to enhance our response time to these places.”

He went on: “If you were to follow the recent spate of robberies in the community, based on reports carried by the media, you would realise that we are dealing with a very sick individual. That person wants to cause harm to Anguilla as opposed to just being one individual responsible for his actions. The Police Department is doing all in its power to catch up with this person.”

The top police officers appealed to the public to pass information about criminal activity as quickly as possible as a lot could be done within that time frame.

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