The Editor
The Anguillian

Dear Editor,

CRIME IN ANGUILLA – A NATIONAL PROBLEM

One of the reasons my wife and I chose to live in Anguilla was the relative absence of serious crime. We invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Anguillian economy to build our home, furnish it, and landscape it, and we continue to employ Anguillians to help us look after it. We thought we’d found a very special place in the world, and we still believe so…but not as strongly as we did, and not for all the same reasons.

Over the past few years there have been murders on the island, attacks on tourists and, most recently, a spate of home invasions where weapons were involved and personal sexual attacks made on the occupants. The situation is getting worse.

In some of these incidents, people have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted. In others, no one has ever been found, much less punished for their acts. In some cases, the convicted people have escaped from Her Majesty’s Prison and gone to other islands. In some cases they have been re-apprehended and are back in prison. In some cases they are out on bail and free to repeat their offenses.

This is more or less close to normal for the process of crime and punishment throughout the world, so why should we expect anything different?

The reason I think we should expect something different, no, demand something different, is quite simply that Anguilla’s economy, though booming right now, is quite fragile, dependent almost entirely on tourism and foreign investment, and these serious crimes not only damage the people against whom they were perpetrated, they may very well damage the livelihood of every single Anguillian resident, at least in the long run. For this reason, what might be an ordinary, though serious, crime in another economy becomes much more serious and damaging in Anguilla. In essence, these crimes could be considered crimes against the State because they can have such widespread impact on so many people. I believe the Anguilla criminal justice system must be adjusted to recognize this special circumstance.

News of criminal activity has always spread around the island in a matter of days, if not hours. Today, it spreads around the entire world at equal speed, and probably reaches many more people than ever. The people who visit here and invest here have the resources to go anywhere in the world, and many of them can be quite fickle. They all will act in their own self-interest. It is not in Anguilla’s interest, the nation’s interest, the people’s interest, to allow them to get the idea that Anguilla may not be a safe place. If they begin to choose other destinations, eventually we will all suffer. If Anguilla ceases to be a desirable “upmarket” destination because visitors become less comfortable here, we will all suffer to the extent that they make other choices. So the selfish criminals who rob and assault others for their own gain are doing it at the expense of all residents of Anguilla, not just those directly involved.

So, what should be done? I have no background in law enforcement and don’t claim to have ready answers, but I know that for the solutions to the problems to be effective, they must be brought to bear at every level of society throughout the total criminal justice system. It can’t continue to be “business as usual”. We’re a small community here, and we can and must look after each other.

People who know the criminals must come forward, not just to help the victims, but in their own interests and tell the police what they know, even if the perpetrator is a friend or relative. That’s a tough thing to do, but it is the right thing to do.

The police must make it possible for such people to come forward, and must create an environment that encourages everyone to help them. They must be as proactive in responding to pleas for help as their resources allow. And government must make sure that the police have the resources they need to deal effectively with the situation.

The judges and the court system must recognize the gravity of their decisions and must be more aware of their responsibility to the nation and its welfare. They should mete out punishment that is effective in discouraging crime, even though it may be difficult and distasteful to do so.

And maybe even the laws of Anguilla need to be reexamined to make them more appropriate and effective for our small island environment and our special situation.

There is a need for creative approaches to the problem of crime, and criminal justice isn’t going to get any better until everyone realizes that we are all vulnerable even though the criminals went to someone else’s house. This time.

The police and all the law enforcement professionals need everyone’s help. We all need to understand that crime is our problem, not just their problem. We’re all in this together, and we need to make a concerted push back against the criminal elements in our society until we return to a safe and worry-free environment. It is possible if we work together.

A deeply concerned resident

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