His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, the Hon. Premier, Dr Rufus Ewing, and the Commissioner of Police, James Smith, met as the TCI National Security Council (NSC) on Friday, 18 December 2015 in Grand Turk.
The Hon. Minister of Border Control and Employment, Her Excellency the Deputy Governor and the Hon. Attorney General who make up the rest of the NSC, were unable to attend.
At this meeting, in response to concerns raised by the Premier, the NSC:
· The council discussed the recent decision to transfer 8 police officers from Grand Turk to Providenciales. The Commissioner of Police explained that the decision had been taken after careful consideration to address the higher incidences of crime in Providenciales compared to Grand Turk. A re-arrangement of working practices introduced by the Assistant Superintendent of Police would ensure that the same level of policing in Grand Turk would be maintained as at present. The Premier stressed the need to monitor and review the impact of the change. He also commented that the introduction of District Constables would provide additional policing presence;
· Members also received a summary from the Commissioner of Police of the new draft National Security Strategy. Discussion focused principally on two areas of concern expressed by the Premier – the need to introduce new measures to address human trafficking and to clamp down on establishments where there are reports of prostitution. The strategy would be discussed in more detail at the next meeting of the NSC in January ahead of wider discussion with the National Security Advisory Group (NSAG);
· There was also a discussion on the increase in robberies and burglaries in Providenciales highlighted by the Premier, including the end destination for stolen goods and measures being introduced by the police to find and identify stolen property. The Commissioner of Police explained measures that were being introduced to tackle the problem including a significant increase in police presence in areas where recent incidents had taken place. The Premier called for better street lighting and the use of CCTV in areas that had been affected;
· Concerns were also expressed by a leading resort in Providenciales about an alleged increase in crime including harassment of guests and measures to address them. The Governor would write to the owner of the hotel offering a meeting with him, the Premier and the Commissioner of Police to discuss the matter;
· They also discussed the proposals for a new Police Headquarters.
