Anguilla’s British-appointed Governor, His Excellency Alistair Harrison, held his monthly press conference on Monday this week when he continued to brief reporters on matters related to his responsibilities on the island.

This time he dealt with internal security. He spoke about the role of the police, the fight against crime including drugs and prison matters. At question time, however, he offered his views on Anguilla’s financial situation, a topical matter these days, and other related issues.

Governor Harrison said that the current discussion on the financial situation was very much a matter between the Anguilla and British Governments with him performing the role of communicating the views of the Anguilla Government to Britain. “I think a resolution will certainly be found to this issue,” he told the reporters. “I think that both Governments want to see the same thing: to have a credible plan for bringing back the finances of the Government of Anguilla to good health when the world’s economy picks up.”
He said it was not surprising that the British Government, most European Governments as well as Caribbean Governments have had to engage adjustments. He noted that “what has been surprising and overwhelming is the scale of the global recession and Anguilla, sadly hasn’t been immune from that.” He observed that there was a more significant downturn in Anguilla’s public revenue due to the impact of the crisis on the island’s tourism and construction industries, key elements of the Government’s revenue budget.

“I think that the Government of Anguilla has been very responsible in trying to cut back on expenditure, to look at new sources of revenue and to develop a credible medium-term debt-management strategy, all of which has been quite complex and demanding,” Governor Harrison said. He hoped that the financial issue would be resolved as quickly as possible, stated that the British Government was aware of the recent discussions in the Anguilla House of Assembly and that a formal communication outlining the Government’s financial position would be sent to London within the next few days.

“The British Government doesn’t normally interfere in the financial issues of the Government of Anguilla, but the ceiling on the borrowing guidelines on the Government of Anguilla is agreed with the British Government and it is in this context that these discussions have been held,” he said. He was obviously referring to the recent talks in London between the Anguilla delegation and British Government officials including the Minister for the Overseas Territories, Chris Bryant.

Questioned about the salary cuts in the Public Service, Governor Harrison said it was a matter very much for the Elected Members in the Executive Council. “Without wishing to breach EXCO confidentiality, it was discussed in a very responsible and careful manner by all members of EXCO and none of us was pleased to introduce such a measure,” he reported. He added that it was a very real consequence of the financial downturn and economic realities and hoped that the situation would last for a shorter period.

Another matter, on which the Governor spoke in relation to reporters’ questions, included the annual Overseas Consultative Council Meeting in London which was moved from November to early December. He and Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming will be attending that meeting. An important agenda item will be the White Paper which, at its introduction in 1999, created a partnership for progress and prosperity between Britain and the Overseas Territories. It is felt that with ten years, now elapsed, it is time for reflection and to consider the next phase of that partnership.

The Governor said another matter to be looked into was the period set by Baroness Scotland during the recent Attorneys General Conference in Anguilla by which certain objectives should be accomplished. He added that the time was now at hand to follow up on a progress report.

As reported previously, Governor Harrison commenced his press conference with an opening statement on security that mainly dealt with matters related to the police, crime and the prison. During question time, he spoke about the overcrowded situation at HM Prison and the need to build a new prison. He observed that while a new prison outside the population centre of the island was the long term solution to the overcrowding situation, the availability of the required financing was not an easy matter to come by in this difficult financial time. He disclosed that for the short term it was decided to build an additional housing facility at the current premises of the prison to take care of some of the overcrowding.

Also, the Governor reflected on the important work of the Royal Anguilla Police Force and congratulated its officers for their recent successes in law and order. “Without wishing to get into too much sensitive detail, there have been key recent successes in the fight against drugs and financial crime; and crime generally remains low here by the standards of the Caribbean,” Mr. Harrison, who meets once a week with Commissioner Keithly Benjamin, continued.

“This is an important element in maintaining Anguilla as a trouble-free destination for tourists, which is so important for the economy. I particularly congratulate the RAPF for their recent introduction of regular press conferences which help to keep the public informed. High visibility can be as important as operational effectiveness in maintaining public confidence. Equally important is that the police cannot do their job effectively without the full and active cooperation of the people they serve, so I ask that you give them your full support by assisting them in any way you can.”

He also spoke about the work of the police to ensure that Anguilla’s roads were used safely and legally. He regretted the incident in which a St. Lucian motorist died over the weekend in Welches when his vehicle allegedly ran off the road. He called on all drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to maintain the highest standards of road safety and noted that EXCO was currently considering changes to make the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act more effective.

The Governor spoke on his responsibility for the prison whose Superintendent, Conrad Gumbs, reports to him operationally, although it administratively functions under the Ministry of Social Development. He said he had taken a close interest in recent events at the prison. He thought it was well-run and he was confident that steps were being taken to avoid a repetition of the fire and subsequent disturbances. He observed that while prison was the right place for some offenders, it was not the best place for most young persons whose contact with adult offenders would at least potentially hardened them to a life of crime. He was pleased with the recent opening of the juvenile unit “Zenaida” which he described “as a positive development providing the judiciary with greater flexibility and more options in sentencing offenders.”

He stated that the involvement of too many young people in crime was a worrying feature in too many societies including Anguilla, and regretted the recent incident involving two young people in which one was stabbed to death. “We must all be concerned about reports of young people getting into the gang culture, and of alleged crimes and drug use in our schools,” he stressed. “As I have said before, we cannot leave the police to solve these problems by themselves. Helping the young to avoid getting tangled up in crime is a task for all of us in society, and I am reflecting on ways that I can help to take this forward.”

Governor Harrison also spoke on the introduction of a parole system, allowing` prisoners, at the end of their sentences, who have earned parole, the right to apply for closely supervised early release. “I support the intention of the Government to introduce legislation in this area. I know there are differing views on it,” he went on. “My own view is that such a system would not immediately lead to an out flux of prisoners. They would have to show that they have earned parole by being more than just model prisoners. They need to show remorse, and the views of their victims or victims’ family will also be relevant. But it is surely better to release prisoners in a controlled fashion, enabling them to re-integrate into society under close supervision, than to pitch them out at the end of their sentences without control and support. The probation service must be ready to take them over and have the resources to do so. The release of a few prisoners on parole would not change the statistic that Anguilla has one of the largest prison populations in the world proportionate to its population.”

Mr. Harrison pointed out that, although Governor, he had no control over the budgets for any of the security-related public services for which he has responsibility. He applauded the fact that, in difficult times, the Executive Council had acted very responsibly in allocating resources to the recruitment of police and the repair of the prison.

“The services connected with internal security do difficult, unglamorous and sometimes dangerous work,” the Governor concluded. “They usually only hit the headlines when things go wrong. But they deserve our gratitude and support. My role as Governor, in partnership with the elected Government, is to assist them in any way I can and I intend to continue to do just that.”

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