Starting from Thursday February 1st, the Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in gun related incidents which claimed the lives of 4 male members of the community, and injured innocent bystanders.
On Thursday February 1st, officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force responded to reports of a shooting at the IBO plaza on Leeward Highway, next to Air and Sea Agency.
Upon arrival officers confirmed that two males were deceased.
Other persons were injured during the incident and had been taken to hospital for further medical treatment.
And then on Friday February 2nd, Detectives of the Serious Crime Unit of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force responded to a shooting scene in the Glass Shack community.
Preliminary reports state around 8:55 pm, a call was placed to the Police Control Room, informing officers that gunshots were heard at a location in Glass Shack, Providenciales.Based on the information received, police officers and medical personnel were dispatched to the location.
Upon arrival, officers found the bodies of two males with what appeared to be gunshot wounds.
Another male and a female, who were in the vicinity of the incident, received injuries and were transported for medical treatment.
Both incidents remain as active investigations and updates will be given as further information becomes available.
The RT&CIPF is asking the public to share any videos and information with detectives at the Serious Crime Unit, South Dock Road, Providenciales, at 231-1842, 911, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 and give any information anonymously.
We would like to express our sincere condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and hope that you can find strength in the Lord during this difficult time.
After the incidents which took place the Premier and the Governor hosted a joint press conference to address crime and National Security.
On the immediate operational response, they have secured a rapid deployment package with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO):
• This includes the deployment within the next seven days of six firearms officers and a firearms commander to provide an immediate boost in tactical manpower.
• Five investigators are also being deployed to drive forward investigations of the recent incidents to support operations of arrest in bringing those responsible to justice.
• It is also critical we build our strategic intelligence-led operations and therefore, the deployment also includes a firearms operations planner and a criminal and intelligence analyst.
These individuals will expand our capabilities greatly to target our resources against the criminal networks.
They have extended Operation Shepherd for the TCI Regiment to continue to provide operational support to the police and are actively pursuing additional tactical support from regional partners.
In building longer term capability and resilience within the RTCIPF, we will be launching a targeted recruitment campaign for experienced tactical officers and serious investigators.
In addition, we are working with the FCDO to secure a wider comprehensive package of critical assets to strengthen intelligence and operational tactics. These assets will provide a step change for our law enforcement agencies in the fight against organised crime.
We are also working to strengthen border security and have secured UK investment in maritime support to improve our surveillance capabilities and domain awareness.
We continue to work with the US and Canadian law enforcement partners to underpin interdiction operations and enhance our resilience.
The National Security Council is marshalling a multi-agency effort across law enforcement, immigration, prison, education, social services, health and the judiciary to reinforce efforts to tackle crime, stop its causes and mitigate its effects.
This is our end-to-end to plan to detect, disrupt and dismantle criminal networks, with an emphasis on addressing the drivers of crime.
