The central theme of the Government Press Conference on Monday, May 12th 2025 was the incidents of intense gun-related crime which had taken place over the past week resulting in two murders and a young man who sustained serious gun-related injuries.
In his comprehensive update on the recent criminal situation, Commissioner of Police, Mr. Robert Clark, announced that additional UK Police Offices will be attached to the Royal Anguilla Police Force in order to assist with the investigations of the murders that had been plaguing Anguilla in recent times. He also committed to a police presence at the Blowing Point Port and spoke to the expansion of the CCTV camera coverage.
“In order [to] bolster our investigative capacity, I have sought additional human resources from another overseas territory and from the UK Government in providing the Royal Anguilla Police Force with six investigative officers,” he said. “We must have the ability to convert evidence into successful prosecution. For me this is a key area, and that is why I have requested from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office an additional six forensic detectives.”
He said these six officers will be imbedded with the local police. They will not be a stand-alone team. He noted that the current UK detectives now on island are working with investigative teams. The Commissioner admitted that while he understands that people can be frustrated with the slow pace of the process when it comes to gathering forensic evidence, still it is important that it is done in a professional manner. “Evidence gathering must be done professionally,” he said, “so that when it is presented in court, it would result in a likely conviction.”
“In response to last week’s incidents,” he continued “we took a decision on Friday to move to a National Security Footing in which everything that would have been otherwise considered as standard is now postponed or scaled back. All officers have been deployed for high visibility and we have deployed armed police patrols to provide reassurance to our residents through focus on “stop and search” activities across the island.
“In addition to this,” the Commissioner went on, “we have discussed with the Government and with the Anguilla Air and Sea Port Authority (AASPA) and have deployed officers at the Port in Blowing Point and they will remain there for the foreseeable future to assure the safety of those who are coming into our island.”
Provision had been made at the new Ferry Terminal for the stationing of law enforcement officials, but at the time when the attack took place on May 6th no police presence was there.
“The CCTV opportunity is still extensively being explored,” the Commissioner said. “The Government and I are working hard to get a state of the art CCTV system throughout the island as soon as possible.” He noted that it is a rather complex project, as far as procurement is concerned, but it is being addressed urgently.
During the press conference, Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. Jose Vanterpool, expressed his commitment in having the procurement process for the CCTV cameras expedited.
“Last year, the procurement documents were prepared and sent out,” Mr. Vanterpool explained, “but there were some bidding issues over the past months and the process was slowed down. However, with this administration now being at the helm, we are dealing with the issues, and the procurement documentation will be completed and re-sent out by tomorrow.”
It is anticipated that these three measures – more investigating officers, a police presence at the port in Blowing Point, and increased CCTV coverage, should curtail some of the gun-related violence on the island.
