On Tuesday, September 21st, Police Commissioner, David Lynch, held a Press Conference to apprize the media on the status of criminal offences on the island.
This was the second such meeting with the press, since Mr. Lynch took office in Anguilla in February, this year. While describing Anguilla as a low crime jurisdiction, the Commissioner said that he and his Officers were committed to targeting the offenders in a move to reduce crime on the island. He told the press that his Officers had been busily working toward this end.
A Number of Reports
“Over the past three weeks,” he said, “there were 155 reports made to the police. Among these were: 12 cases of domestic disputes; 15 disturbances; 19 annoyances; 17 traffic-related matters; and 11 civil disputes. In addition, there were 36 crimes, with 2 being possession of firearms and 4 were related to burglary.”
Search Warrants
The Commissioner said that the Force had executed a few warrants. He noted that permission was requested from the court — after presentation of evidence — for officers to conduct searches and, over the past two weeks, 10 search warrants were issued. During these operations, police officers recovered stolen merchandise including a laptop, cell-phones, tools, two fire arms with ammunition, and someone was actually caught stealing furniture.
Domestic Disputes
“There were a significant number of domestic disputes,” Commissioner Lynch reported, These comprised a high percentage of the total reports. “Quite a reasonable proportion of what we deal with relates to domestic disturbances and dispute among neighbours,” he said, “and we want to attend to such matters through Community Beat Policing.
Community Beat Policing
“We are looking to create a Community Beat Team, comprising four officers and two sergeants. We are currently having conversations with the government about re-profiling the actual structure of the Force.
“We would then be able to relieve some officers back to work as Community Police Officers. We have had expressions of interest from our staff about becoming Community Beat Officers, and being tied to local communities. So we will run a selection process and then we will have a training process.”
The Early August Shooting
As regards the August Monday shooting in Sandy Ground, the Commissioner said, “It should have never happened. There were lots of people around, and many people witnessed it. We would like people who have information on this incident to share what they have seen.”
Asked whether anyone was brought in and interviewed about the shooting, or if the shooting victim was assisting the police, the Commissioner answered: “We will give an update a bit later on that. The investigation is still ongoing.”
Sandy Ground Police Station
The Commissioner termed this as a “hot topic”. “You can rest assured,” he said, “we want to get the Sandy Ground Police Station open again. At the moment, it is literally an issue of funding. Of course, maintaining one building is a lot cheaper that maintaining two. And if that station is functional, our officers would have to be provided with cars for transport.
“However, our commitment is to resume the service of the Sandy Ground Station. Our Deputy Chief has the task of ensuring that we have at least two rooms there from which we can function. There is where some of our Community Beat Officers will be stationed when they are selected.”
Traffic Department
“The Traffic Department is small here,” he noted. “We must restructure in order to find staff for this department. I fully accept the fact that we need to focus on that. We need to have more discussions with the Transport Board so that we can devise a cohesive programme about how we will manage traffic effectively.
“This will include vehicular safety standards and the condition of vehicles — for example placing an embargo on people driving around without front number plates — as well as some particular tests that vehicles should undergo in order for them to meet required standards.”
“Driver behavior is the key to preventing accidents”, the Commissioner stated. “It includes factors like imposing a drunk driving limit, the use of seat belts, and the abuse of cell phones while driving. We will discuss all these areas of concern with the Transport Board.”
Identifying Stolen Property
The Commissioner made an appeal to persons who have laptops and other equipment, which carry serial numbers, to take pictures of the serial numbers on the devices. “We would ask people who have any expensive items and equipment to photograh the serial number and keep it, so that in the event we would need to re-unite that equipment with its owner, we can do so a lot more effectively.
Needing the Public’s Help
“We are keen to get information on solving crime and recovering people’s stolen property, and we are keen to arrest people who commit such crimes. But to do so we do need the public’s help. I want to promote the confidential e-mail line. This e-mail is strictly confidential, and not even I can freely access it. It is managed by an overseas agency.”
“Thankfully, crime is low on this island,” he said. “But for what crime there is, we are keen on targeting the small number of offenders and put them through the criminal justice process. So, we would ask people to share any information that they have with us.
“Persons can share information on crime by sending the police a confidential e-mail on our Confidential E-mail Hotline, at www.gov.ai/911.”
