As 2016 ends, Virgin Islands residents are urged not to take their safety and security for granted.
In late November, the police commissioner, an exceptionally competent professional in this writer’s opinion, alluded to the links between national safety and the economy. The commissioner further stated that despite the failure of some members of a very small interconnected community to report the criminal activity of relatives, the VI remains a very safe territory.
Now, what he did not state is this: The VI 20 years ago, and even before, was a much safer community and tourism destination.
Virgin Islanders can surely recall the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Doors and windows were left open at night. Residents went to work and never had to lock and secure their homes. This writer 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 VI was a much more genial and wholesome community in those years.
Safety is ‘critical’
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.
In the VI
But why is safety such a hot topic in the VI? 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 territory.
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: 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.
A crackdown
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 back 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 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 VI is a model for this territory 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 islands could not cope with.
There must be zero tolerance for guns in the VI. Sadly, the response to gun possession remains reactive. The territory’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.
France’s rules
This commentator 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 that to the US, 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.
Safety, then, is synonymous with possessing the right type of information and knowledge. There is a dearth of data and statistical information in the VI. This springs from a laidback approach to life. That “lackadaisical attitude” takes place when one exists in a space where there is no need to “bother with such matters.”
Solutions
However, going forward, the VI will have to get serious about archiving residents’ personal information and obtaining wider information on matters relevant to safety and security. 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; when to use camera and human surveillance; who will inform on crime; and relevant telephone and cell phone data. It also 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 or 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 the VI, 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 VI is in the public interest.
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