- UK Government will increase support to ensure the safety of
people in the Turks & Caicos Islands
- The British Overseas Territory has seen a major surge in gang
violence, with 15 fatal shootings since 3 September
- UK has sent a ship and agreed a deployment of 24 firearms
officers from the neighbouring Bahamas
The UK Government is sending a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship to the
Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) – and has agreed a deployment of
specialist police from neighbouring Caribbean islands – to ensure
the safety and security of people, amid a surge in gang violence.
TCI is a British Overseas Territory with a population of less
than 50,000. The UK is responsible for the safety and security of
people there.
A detachment of 24 highly-trained specialist firearms officers
from The Bahamas arrived on Friday and are now on active duty on
the islands. Discussions are underway with other neighbouring
states on additional support. In parallel, the UK is providing a
package of longer-term support to build local capacity on areas
including intelligence gathering, firearms training and border
control.
The Royal Navy has deployed RFA Tideforce, which is on the way to
the islands. The ship is a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker and will
be used as a platform for operations, bringing with it a Wildcat
helicopter, which offers a surveillance capability and can
support security operations.
Alongside this, a package of maritime surveillance support has
been agreed from the US, over October, to include a fixed-wing
aircraft and a Blackhawk helicopter.
Foreign Secretary said:
“The UK has a moral and constitutional responsibility to
support and protect the people of the Overseas Territories, who
are a valued part of the UK family. We had to act following the
terrible violence we’ve seen in the Turks & Caicos Islands
these past few weeks.
“I’m grateful to the brave men and women of the local police
force, as well as those from the Bahamas who are providing
invaluable immediate support. The Governor and Premier are also
working tirelessly to protect communities. Together, we will
ensure that violent crime is stamped out in the Turks &
Caicos Islands in the long term.”
This help forms part of a wider package of support from the UK
Government to tackle violent crime on TCI, which includes:
- The UK Government is also working to recruit and fund a new
serious crime team who will sit at the heart of the TCI police
force, building a permanent capability to tackle gang crime;
- UK police are engaging with local TCI counterparts to
finalise a contingency plan for additional specialist support to
deploy, if needed;
- This is in addition to a series of deployments of UK police
to provide longer-term support for operations and to build
capacity in the TCI to tackle gang crime. These include firearms
trainers, detectives and border force agents;
- The UK is procuring a permanent maritime surveillance
aircraft to help secure TCI’s borders;
- The National Crime Agency is deploying staff to the TCI,
working closely with local police intelligence teams, to support
the development of additional intelligence capability within TCI,
including advice on lawful intercept legislation;
- Ongoing support through the Conflict, Security and Stability
Fund has included a secondment of a Border Security lead, a
programme of training and capability building to the TCI police,
as well as support for a project of customs and border
transformation.
TCI has seen a surge in violent crime in the past few months,
which is believed to be linked to the arrival of organised
criminal gangs from elsewhere in the Caribbean.
The security situation has rapidly deteriorated in TCI over the
past weeks, with 11 fatal shootings in September and a further
four in October.
