While the Royal Anguilla Police Force is concerned with the increasing incidence of violent robberies and burglaries, newly-appointed Commissioner, Mrs. Amanda Stewart, indicated that stronger and more sustained efforts will be made to tackle guns and gangs on the island.
The Commissioner, recruited on a five-year contact from Northern Ireland, where she has had thirty years of high professional experience, was at the time holding her first press conference in Anguilla on Wednesday, July 22.
“The big, big issues on the island are things like burglary, robbery and firearms,” Commissioner Stewart told media representatives. “In relation to the crime on the island I know, and I have looked back at statistics…, that there has been an increase in serious and… high level crime. All the crime on the island is not that bad, but serious crime sends out a terrible message.
“The fact that there are guns on this island worries me very much. It is something that we need to take out of society. There is a bit of a gang culture. I have looked back and already learnt that bit by bit I need to get more at grips with it. I am working very closely with the PAVE [Partners Advocating for Violence Eradication] organisation, which has all the church and community leaders involved, to try to tackle this gang crime.
Mrs. Stewart continued: “When people take up guns, the whole society is put at risk. [When] people go out and shoot up a van, loads and loads of time, there are strayed bullets which can go everywhere and everyone of us is at risk, so we need to keep the guns out of this society. And I really appeal to anyone who has any information about where these guns are being stored, or who is carrying guns, [to inform the Police]. I am already looking at all the information that we hold, and I will be planning more searches in relation to try and find firearms. I make no excuse for that whatsoever.
“That is something that we need to try and do – remove firearms from this society. People on the street are coming up to me and saying ‘lock the people up, lock the people up.’ I need information, first of all, to turn into evidence to enable us to lock these people up – so my big, big appeal is for members of the public to bring that information to us; to let us, know and to turn that intelligence into getting warrants to do searches and put people before the courts. The Police cannot do the job alone. We need the help of the community to do this.”
Commissioner Stewart pledged to ensure confidentiality in terms of protecting informants, and to investigate, with consequences, any breaches of confidence and public trust within the Police Force. She stressed that she is a straight Police Officer who will not stand for corruption in the Force, or in the public domain, and will investigate all matters of crime coming to her attention, regardless whom the perpetrators may be.
Earlier, the Commissioner spoke about a number of short-term plans. These include more police visibility throughout Anguilla, despite the layout of the island and the scattered residential areas; increased training for all Police Officers; and more visits to schools.
Of much importance, Commissioner Stewart spoke about some of her other plans. “What I would like to do, at some stage in the future, is to set up some community engagement forums – possibly three – may be one here in The Valley, one at East End and one at West End,” she disclosed. “We will advertise this and will ask residents to come and talk to me. I will appear at all those [meetings] and ask people to interact with me and tell me what they need from the policing service.”
Looking ahead, Mrs. Stewart added: “In the longer term, I am planning to have a policing plan, but I can’t draw up that plan until I am in post for two or three months because I need to learn what policing matters look like and what people want from the policing service. That will be drawn up and signed off by both the Government of Anguilla and the Governor’s Office to make sure that whatever is there will hold me to account. We will then have an implementation plan…that will show exactly what I want to do to tackle these issues [of crime].”
Meanwhile, there was another part of the press conference which the Commissioner got Superintendent Elliot Forbes to deal with. This related to the Police control of the carnival activities. Among other things, he spoke about such matters as unruly behaviour; the removal of disorderly persons committing attacks on other persons; and the Police decision to request the Magistrate to deny bail to them until after the carnival season.
