Luckily for all of us, Anguilla is a place of low crime. However, as part of a world besieged by every vice imaginable, and in fact to a great extent unimaginable, we do not expect our little island to continue as it is today. There are already uncomfortable signs that changing times and behavioural patterns, as well as certain influences, are resulting in a steady increase in the crime rate and something ought to be done to keep the situation under control. There seems to be a mushrooming of the number of young people appearing before the Magistrate’s Court week after week. This is perhaps a matter of much concern because a small island like Anguilla needs well-disciplined youth to help shape our future and to fulfill our ideal dreams.

The incidence of gang violence is one of the elements of deviant behaviour among our youth although it does not occur very often. It is something that must be stamped out to remove the constant threat to the life of some hapless person and the peace and quiet of our communities. The application of the law and the severity of the punishment should be of such that potential offenders would be led in their own interest to regulate their lives and behaviour. Certainly if they cannot stop fighting at school, social functions and at other gatherings, they should be made to feel the full weight of the law. Gang violence is foreign to Anguilla and those who want to be importers of this type of culture must be stopped forthwith.

There are other elements of criminal behaviour which must be curtailed before they take over our society. Among them is robbery. Recent incidents at business establishments and the methods of forced entry used by the robbers have caused much concern on the island. So brazen, intricate and meticulous have been some of the incidents that many have concluded that there must have been some outside involvement. There have been cases before when a number of persons have crossed over from one of the neighbouring islands to commit offences in Anguilla in the hope of getting away. Apart from passing through the Blowing Point Port with little or no difficulty, so open and unguarded is our island on the sea coasts that some persons may think they can enter and leave by boat undetected.

What is even more disturbing is the thought that there could be Anguillian accomplices involved in some of the incidents. If not, there could be others who somehow may have seen something or otherwise happened to obtain useful information but were not prepared to report to the police. When this happens, the arresting hands of the police are tied, a case remains unsolved and the protected offenders are free to strike again. We must admit however that our people in Anguilla are not all saints. A number of Anguillians in their middle and late teens are known to be involved in robberies. Just recently it is understood that the police were able to crack some previously unsolved cases in the Cul De Sac area only to find that the culprits were local youngsters. Everything must be done by our law enforcers with the support of the public to protect our island from crime. No effort must be spared in catching and punishing the perpetrators whether home grown or foreign nationals.

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