Staggering Crime Drop Hailed

Governor Dileeni Daniel Selvaratnam has hailed the significant success in the fight against crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands, revealing that major crimes fell by an extraordinary 40 per cent in 2025.

Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands Hon. Dileeni Daniel Selvaratnam, and Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands Hon. Washington Misick marches into the Northern Caribbean Crime Summit at the Shore Club Resort in Providenciales. Photo: Vivian Tyson

The governor’s announcement came during her address at the opening of the 4th Northern Caribbean Security Summit at the Shore Club Resort on Thursday.

In 2025, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, under the supervision of Fitz Bailey, took out several top criminals, who were out to create havoc and instability in the country. Ampong the criminals who were neutralized was feared Andral Percival, who was said to have been responsible or approximately a dozen murders, including the double killing of a pair of twin brothers in Kew Town.

 Percival was also said to have rendered dozens of persons in the Blue Hills area homeless, after setting fire that spread rapidly, in what the authorities described as a diversionary tactic as the police closed in on him.

The governor pointed out that the TCI is not immune to transnational organised crime groups, who she said have been exploiting irregular maritime routes to traffic firearms, narcotics and human beings throughout the Northern Caribbean.

“Here in the Turks and Caicos Islands, we have made significant progress over the past year in confronting this activity and the criminality it fuels,” the Governor said. “Major crimes declined by an extraordinary 40% in 2025.”

She attributed the decline to strengthened national coordination and investment across the country’s security architecture, thanking the Premier, members of the National Security Council and Cabinet for their unified approach.

“This outcome reflects substantial investment across our security architecture,” she said, highlighting enhancements in intelligence, investigations and tactical capability within the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, expanded training and technology within the TCI Border Force, and improved maritime and civil contingency readiness by the TCI Regiment.

Regional Threats and Haiti Instability

Governor Daniel Selvaratnam also pointed to widening regional security threats, particularly instability in Haiti.

“Instability in Haiti remains a persistent region-wide risk,” she warned. “Escalating gang violence continues to drive large-scale irregular migration and associated criminality, as malicious actors prey on vulnerable individuals in desperate circumstances.”

She noted that the dissolution of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council has introduced a new level of uncertainty, placing pressure on Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to deliver both a UN-mandated gang suppression force and credible elections.

“While we hope for success, prudence demands that we continue to prepare for the worst-case scenarios,” she added.

Joint Operations and Migrant Interdictions

The governor reealed that throughout 2025, joint security efforts led to the interdiction of more than 1,800 irregular migrants within TCI’s maritime domain. Intelligence-led operations on land targeted organised immigration networks and gang activity, resulting in hundreds of apprehensions and the disruption of criminal infrastructure.

The Governor emphasized that enforcement operations also focused on informal settlements, dismantling operational footholds used by criminal groups.

“These actions collectively strike at the full ecosystem that enables irregular migration and associated organised crime, driving meaningful and measurable security outcomes,” she stated.

She underscored that the next phase would focus on ensuring operational successes translate into sustained justice outcomes through stronger investigations, prosecution and sentencing.

Regional Cooperation Praised

Governor Daniel Selvaratnam commended regional and international partners for their support, citing tactical surge assistance from the Barbados Police Service and the Jamaica Constabulary Force, maritime air surveillance support from US Customs and Border Protection, collaboration with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, and embedded liaison officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

She also heaped praise on Police Commissioner Fitz-Bailey and local law enforcement officers.

“Their resolve, professionalism and unwavering willingness to step forward in moments of great risk are the driving force behind our progress,” she said. “They embody the very best of public service.”

OPBAT Summit Focus

Welcoming delegates to the OPBAT Summit, the Governor reaffirmed the Turks and Caicos Islands’ commitment to regional security collaboration. She noted that this year’s summit theme, “Dismantling Illicit Maritime Activities through Enhanced Cooperation,” reflects the evolving threat.

“The criminal networks we face are agile, multi-commodity and unconstrained by jurisdiction. Our operational responses must be equally adaptable,” she said.

She added; “Our success will be judged not by our discussions, but by the outcomes we deliver – stronger borders, more resilient institutions and, above all, safer communities for the people we serve.”

“As hosts, the Turks and Caicos Islands reaffirm our unequivocal commitment to this partnership… Let’s seize this opportunity to send a unified message that the Northern Caribbean’s organised crime and hostile actors will find no safe harbour.”