Citizens, Residents and Visitors during the week of January 25th to February 1st, 2014 the Royal Anguilla Police Force celebrates its 42nd Anniversary and Police Week under the theme “Fostering Community Participation Creating a Crime Free Nation”.
The Royal Anguilla Police Force was established in the year 1972 primarily to maintain law and order, fight crime, protect life and property and to maintain peace and tranquility in our society. It was never envisage that these tasks would be left entirely to the men and women who wear the uniform of the Royal Anguilla Police force but to include the communities we serve.
Today Anguilla faces many complex threats compared to years gone by; threats that have some devastating effects on our wellbeing and the island’s stability. These threats have impacted on our financial and economic strength, our tourism industry, social life, health and can affect our image as a peace full destination for vacation or conducting business.
Therefore it is incumbent on all of us who call this island home to ensure that we collectively stand up and take positive actions that will assist law enforcement officers in their pursuit of those who continue to instill fear in the hearts and minds of all Anguillans and our visitors.
It is my fervent view that we can repel this scourge of gun violence that has emerged on our soil. We can successfully bring those who unleash their deadly violence on our love ones to justice expeditiously. We have proven that since we have had some success with your assistance. Please we all must commit ourselves as genuine partners to assist in the eradication of gun crimes and all other crimes from our shores. This can be achieved through sharing of information of what we see, hear and know in a timely manner, being prepared to give evidence in person against those who commit these reckless and violent acts in our presence, against those who are selling guns and ammunitions to our youths, against those who are knowingly engage in the illegal importation of illegal guns and other illegal substances for our children. The fight against these reckless and violent acts cannot be left only to the police. It needs community involvement, hence our theme, “Fostering Community Participation Creating a Crime Free Nation”.
Anguilla is not the only country in the world that has been experiencing the upsurge in gun related violence. The entire world is affected by it and faces similar challenges to what we in Anguilla are facing; the lack of witnesses out of fear and the enormous amounts of money to be spent on DNA and other forensic and ballistic analysis procedures to extract evidence for criminal prosecution is impacting on country’s finances. I cannot stop reiterating the point that we must work in partnership to find the source of our problems and deal with them collectively. There is no one solution or quick fix solution that can bring a complete end to this type of criminality. Let us try to assist collectively be it as individuals, groups, communities or as a country to contribute wholeheartedly without fear and I am most certain we will see positive changes.
We must find the answer to the deep rooted animosity that continues to divide us as a people. And as parents and communities let us examine ourselves individually and collectively to ascertain what roles are we playing that may be contributing to the ill behavior of our nation youths. Often times it is the wrong advise and actions taken that hype the youths’ actions.
These disgusting acts should not be taken lightly, and every effort should be made to assist law enforcement in eliminating this threat to our society. It is very disheartening for us as Police Officers to see when persons are injured or killed and Witnesses of these crimes simply turn a blind eye and refuse to cooperate in bringing the culprits to justice. The benefit of such action goes to the criminals and the silence gives the criminal elements free will to continue comfortably without fear of punishment. As a result most of the blames are cast on the police without justification.
The Security of our Country can only be sustained by a strong genuine partnership. Therefore please let us all remove all the barriers that are preventing us from forging that lasting strong genuine partnership and turn things around to send that clear and decisive message to the criminals that we are united against crime.
There is no room for complacency; we must as a community be strong in our resolve to help to eradicate crimes and work in partnership to find suitable and effective alternatives to assist our youths thus by extension helping to make Anguilla safer.
The Royal Anguilla Police Force will continue with our mission to work towards a safer Anguilla for all who live, work and visit here; all we ask in return is supportive genuine partners.
I will like to take this opportunity to thank the entire ranks and file of the Royal Anguilla Police Force for the support I received. I must admit there were instances where we could have done better. Also to the Civilian staff I say thanks for your contribution and I look forward to your continued support. It would remiss of me if I did not also include a hearty thank you to all those who have assisted the Police with information, intelligence, well-wishers and all those generous contributors to Police week to include the Royal St Christopher and Nevis Police Force, Royal British Virgin Islands Police Force, The Royal St Lucia Police Force and The Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force. To those of you who have not yet come on board I will like to take this opportunity to invite you to do so without delay.
The Police Week Committee has put together a programme of activities that will Showcase another side of policing and to entertain each of you who wish to share in our activities.
