PRESS RELEASE
On Friday February 8th, 2013, representatives of the Anguilla Tourist Board, the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association and the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry met to continue the discussions initiated at a meeting with His Excellency Governor Alistair Harrison and Commissioner of Police, Mr Rudolph Proctor on the issue of crime and violence arising out of the attacks on tourists at Little Bay and Blanchards Restaurant. Also attending the meeting on Friday was Ms Shellecia Brooks of the Ministry of Tourism.
The purpose of the meeting was to further develop the ideas that had been generated from the previous meeting at the Governor’s Office on Monday, February 4, 2013, and to come up with a concrete plan of action to be followed in pursuing solutions in the short term to the crisis situation being experienced by the industry. The goal of the participants was to ensure that the outcome of the meeting would not be the cataloguing of mere platitudes, as had been the case of such meetings in the past, but rather actionable initiatives which could be embraced by the key players involved, and which would send a clear message of galvanization by the tourism and business sectors to the communities which they serve. While it was recognized that the approach to the issue of criminal activity on the island would of necessity require solutions that would address the social issues that are at the root of the problem, it was agreed that the circumstances required an immediate response in order to assure persons that this situation was being treated with the gravity that it warrants, and that immediate and actionable solutions are being proposed.
As a result of the discussions which ensued, and based upon the input from the Commissioner of Police, seven actions were agreed upon and approved, as follows:
PROPOSED ACTION POINTS ARISING OUT OF MEETING WITH
RAPF COMMISSIONER AND HE THE GOVERNOR
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2013
12:00 PM
1. Increased patrols by the RAPF – These are already being done, using both uniformed and covert operations.
Recommendation: Establish community security patrols in designated areas. Explore the possibility of working with security companies and bringing out retired officers to assist in this area. (These can be paid for on a co-op basis by businesses in the designated zones.) Inclusion of extra police personnel as a component of the Resources required by the RAPF, given that the Commissioner has indicated the possibility of having officers carry out security audits for businesses.
Benefit: Immediate and visible presence of extra security may help to deter criminal activity and heighten sense of safety for businesses and patrons.
2. Increased Vehicular patrols by RAPF – The police are seeking to increase the level of patrols by vehicles.
Recommendation: Approach car dealers and car rental agencies to request assistance with one donated vehicle for the use of the RAPF. Secondment of Government-owned vehicles which are parked up at 4:00 pm each day to assist in evening and night time patrols.
Benefit: Immediate response to the issue of shortage of vehicles. Cost effective way of obtaining the vehicles. Increased vehicular patrols, especially to more remote areas.
3. Establishment of an Umbrella Committee to monitor and respond to crisis activity on the island – Stream-lining of the approach and response actions required at various levels for the island.
Recommendation: Formalization of a Crisis Response Committee charged with the messaging of the crisis and the reaction from the island’s authorities. Statement to be prepared and given to the designated spokesperson – usually the Chief Minister, but subject to change based on the nature of the crisis. The Committee should also include representatives from Disaster Management Unit and RAPF, as well as a representative from the Ministry of Tourism, a Legal Adviser, and a Psychologist, in addition to the participants of the meeting. The Committee will work closely with ATB’s Public Relations’ team on matters of Crisis Management and Communications.
Benefit: This will lead to a cohesive unified approach to the situation at hand; a timely and appropriate response; and limit the potential for erroneous or misleading messages to dominate the dialogue.
4. Establishment of a Fund to assist in Crisis Mitigation – Such a fund already exists, established in response to a crime outbreak some time in 2005-2006, but has been dormant since the outbreak was contained.
Recommendation: The management of the fund that has been generated by members of the private sector in response to the Blanchard/Little Bay incident is currently being handled by the group under the name, “Friends of Anguilla”. A variation of this fund may be set up and channeled through the AHTA to permit donations from other entities such as APANY, the Anguilla Association (Slough), and other interested individuals and entities.
Benefit: The establishment of a fund creates an avenue for persons to get involved in the fight against crime. Enables a pro-active rather than a re-active approach. Creates an environment for public-private sector partnership as the Government can be challenged to allocate funds to help to generate the revenue needed to obtain the resources identified by the RAPF for the fight against crime. Provides a source for funding of rewards program.
5. Promotion of the Anonymous Tip Line – A tip line already exists.
Recommendation: Implement public awareness program on how the tip line works. Emphasize the assurance of anonymity and confidentiality. Training of officers at all levels to reinforce the importance of confidentiality especially in a nation as small as Anguilla. Greater use of Social Media to build awareness. Training of businesses on proper security protocols as it relates to security features and cameras in their places of business.
Benefit: Increase in information sharing and criminal intelligence. Improved perception of the RAPF by the public. More professionalism on the part of members of the RAPF at all levels.
6. Exploration of Recommended Security Initiatives – Consideration of additional security initiatives and actions, including the use of CCTV coverage of the destination, including entry points of the island. Re-assignment of security machines to cover entry into, rather than departure from, the island.
7. Establishment of Community Groups in designated zones around the island. – Several such groups have already been created and are working actively. Other zones may be encouraged to benefit from their proposals and experiences as they formulate their own groups.
The ATB-AHTA-ACOCI are committed to a partnership approach, and we look forward to continuing to work with all entities involved in a corresponding spirit of partnership and unity for the purpose of ensuring that this criminal activity is arrested and eradicated from our society.
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
