Dickson Igwe. Photo: VINO

Now, what the Good Commissioner of Police did not state is this: the Virgin Islands 20 years ago, and even before, was a much safer community and tourism destination.

Virgin Islanders can surely recall the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Doors and windows were left open at night. Residents went to work and never had to lock and secure their homes. This Old Boy could leave a vehicle open and unsecured in Road Town with valuables sitting on the back seat and not give a thought of someone stealing his wallet. Violent assaults, robberies, and murders were practically nonexistent. The Virgin Islands was a much more genial and wholesome community in those years.

OK, one cannot dispute the assertion that health and safety are two of the core components of wholesome community. Without these two virtues all else is “pie in the sky.” In a dangerous world where life is becoming increasingly cheap, safety and security are indeed rare national virtues.

In a tourism and financial services economy, safety is even more critical to attracting foreign guests and international investors, than pristine beaches, a beautiful geography, and investor friendly services. No one wants to visit or do business in a country, to get robbed, or worse. One can never overestimate the critical importance of safety to a country’s social economy, and the welfare of its residents. Safety is a crucial metric in economics. Without safety there is no economy.

Safety and security are synonyms for quality of life. The safety factor is marker of a top rated country. Every good thing in a country, from a great economy, to a wholesome social and political culture, springs out of safety and security. A safe and secure country allows for sound economic and social development.

But why is safety such a hot topic in these Virgin Islands? The reason is simple. There are criminal subsets of this community that threaten the safety and security of us all. These criminal subsets further threaten the economic and social sustainability of the Virgin Islands.

One major matter is uncontrolled male youth. Anyone who is observant will not fail to notice the increasing scourge of motorcycle riders who ride their bikes illegally and recklessly.

This is becoming a terrible menace, especially at night. Illegal bikes are not just a threat to the safety of these youth. But the problem is a public nuisance. There is also a link between this illegal motorbike culture and the wider incidence of crime in the territory. The sound of growling motorbikes and young racers on the public road terrorises legitimate road users. It is also harassment for pedestrians. Many of these pedestrians are also foreign guests.

It is time for a crackdown. These bikes must be confiscated and held in police custody until the riders obtain the requisite paperwork. Then the bikes should be released to the rightful owner: but only after the police are satisfied that these bikes will be ridden legitimately and responsibly. The police will certainly receive public support if they deal toughly with this matter.

Another subset that impacts national safety is the illegal possession of guns. Despite the warnings too many young men think it is a badge of honour to carry an illegal weapon. The gun culture is closely linked with the drug culture. However, both of these crime subsets lead to robberies and murders. The United States Virgin Islands is a model for the VI if the gun culture is not completely destroyed. In the USVI there are on average 60 gun related deaths every year. That is a death count these sunny Virgin Islands could not cope with.

There must be zero tolerance for guns in these [British] Virgin Islands. Sadly, the response to gun possession remains reactive. The country’s leaders need to get a lot more aggressive in dealing with the problem of illegal guns. There is no virtue in the gun culture.

This Old Boy is writing this story sitting in a warm and cozy Parisian hotel room. Despite being a terrorism hub, France has zero tolerance for guns. The result of this anti- gun culture is that on the European Continent cities such as Paris and London are very safe spaces. Compare to the United States, where guns cause carnage, mayhem and death daily.

A safe country is a country with secure borders. In a politically correct world that lack of discernment in letting “everyone and anyone” into a country is simple “madness.” Europe is in political and social trouble today as a result of a naïve and foolish migration policy. An effective migration policy links migration with internal security. Effective migration also takes into account the culture and values subsets of the majority population. It ensures the compatibility of the migrant, with the society into which the migrant migrates.

Then, safety is synonymous with possessing the right type of information and knowledge. There is a dearth of data and statistical information in the Virgin Islands. This springs from a “laid back” approach to life. That “lackadaisical attitude” takes place when one exists in a space where there is no need to “bother with such matters.”

However, going forward, the VI will have to take the archiving of both the personal information about residents, and obtaining wider information on matters relevant to safety and security, much more seriously.  It is impossible to fight crime effectively and establish safe spaces without possessing a culture of effective information and knowledge gathering.

Effective information knows who the criminals and criminally inclined are; where they reside; who has the motives with regards to specific crimes; knows when to affect camera and human surveillance; knows who will inform on crime; obtains relevant telephone and cell phone data; looks for clues in computer algorithms; and much more.

Access to relevant information will allow for more effective vetting of persons applying for jobs in “sensitive areas” such as those who work with children, and in security type agencies. 

Not having the right data and information on a variety of subjects that impact safety and security is no longer an option. And in the information age, and a very dangerous time, we will all have to exchange privacy for safety and security.

However, a well-managed criminal and intelligence database, if run by competent professionals who understand the critical importance of confidentiality, is a very good thing. And this is possible in these Virgin Islands, despite the lack of confidence the public presently has in specific agencies, on matters of privacy and confidentiality.

The preceding narrative is a suggestion on ways and means of increasing public safety in the territory. It is a motley mix.

Increasing the collective safety and security of these Virgin Islands is in the public’s interest.

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