Make Anguilla Safe

The Editor
The Anguillian

Make Anguilla Safe

Violence is threatening Anguilla. Residents and visitors are afraid. I am afraid. I fear leaving my home unoccupied at night. I fear living in my home at night. I fear for my husband’s and my personal safety.

In the past, Anguilla has been a beautiful island paradise. With the current major building projects it has additionally become an island of opportunity. Jobs are plentiful. No person must travel to St Martin for a job to support his family. Many residents are improving and expanding their homes for family comfort and tourist rental. Other residents are building apartments and villas for tourist rental to secure future family income. All of this prosperity has been created from Anguilla’s primary industry: tourism.

Now personal safety and tourism are being threatened by an evil few. They are the murderers, assaulters and robbers who increasingly ply their lawless and violent skills. To my knowledge, last winter one person was murdered and three robberies occurred. This winter, an Anguillian man was shot, losing his leg as a result. An Anguillian woman was murdered. Six to seven armed robberies have taken place, one involving sexual molestation and another involving sexual voyeurism forced at gunpoint.

Residents no longer feel safe. Tourists to Anguilla, some coming for the first time, others for decades, now live in fear. There is a general attitude that crimes are not solvable and will not be punished. Not even an island as beautiful as Anguilla is worth visiting to live in fear. How will the international publications, which have for years praised its beauty and tranquility, now speak of Anguilla? Will publications tell the world to stay away or bring guards and weapons? Must the slogan “Tranquility Wrapped in Blue” be changed to “Fear Wrapped in Blue”?

To the extent that people of Anguilla breathe a sigh of relief that a crime was not committed against themselves or their families and do nothing else, lawlessness and violence will grow.

I call upon the residents and long-term visitors such as I, to write to the Editor of The Anguillian, to speak and write to the political leaders and to the Governor. Ask, no insist, that lawlessness be controlled, crimes be solved and criminals punished. Insist that the police force be given the training and tools and outside help they need to solve crimes and that the crimes actually be solved. Insist that handsome rewards be paid to persons providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of perpetrators. Insist that protection be given to the identities of citizens who step forward with information and testimony pertinent to crimes so that they will not receive harassment and retaliation. Insist that Anguilla’s newspapers, report all crimes with the names of the alleged perpetrators.

Make Anguilla safe again. Protect your heritage. Protect your families and your industry. Act!

Sarah Hayes