1) Over the past 10 years, Anguilla has slowly, steadily become less safe. More crime, some local gangs, guns, drugs. The pace is picking up.

11 years ago, when we first visited, Anguillians would laugh when I locked the villa door. Now they close their windows at night.

That said, it’s still the safest island in the Caribbean (and the most special, but that’s just my opinion ).

That said, while it’s still safe, we need to act now or we could be ‘just another island’ in a year or three.

2) Local, NON-tourist crime accounts for most of it, but THAT never warrants any coverage over at Tripadvisor.

Up until “THE” robbery, even the occasional tourist crime never seemed to get much play, but it DID happen, and not just the typical beach-snatch-and-run that can happen anywhere.

3) That “code of silence” all changed on January 31, the day of THE spectacular robbery at Blanchard’s Restaurant, perhaps THE most famous of all our restaurants.

A thread started at TA on Feb. 1. It lasted almost 3 weeks, running 318 posts. For those who missed it, here is the first page of that (click on the image to enlarge it).

4) A PR nightmare. Our small island is virtually 100% dependent on tourism.

What makes us so different? Our beaches, yes. The people, absolutely.

And SAFETY. “TRANQUILITY wrapped in blue,” Anguilla is the safest island in the Caribbean.

Subtract “safety” from the equation, though, and this island will suffer badly. Think about it…

What happens to tourism in Jamaica when a crime is reported on their forums? Nothing. Why? No one goes there because it’s safe.

What happens here, though? Each report is a little chip in our reputation. Build up enough chips and our entire economy would be in serious trouble.

Worse, that starts “the spiral to nowhere”…

crime publicity > tourist fear > less tourism > fewer jobs and dollars > more poverty > more young men going into crime > more crime > more crime publicity.

So everyone here, government and private industry, is mobilizing. I can’t say what the British Governor (who is responsible for internal security) is doing because he’s not saying.

The KEY, though, is NOT just to make the tourist zones safe. We’d end up “ghetto-izing” Anguilla, like so many of the other islands. That would NOT be Anguilla…

One of Anguilla’s unique charms is that you can drive anywhere. Find a secluded beach that looks nice? Stop, sunbathe, snorkel and picnic, with no worries.

Safe access to ALL of Anguilla CANNOT change!

5) Yes, Anguilla is STILL the safest island. Let’s summarize, though, the fast change in perception by some…

BBR (Before Blanchard’s Robbery): Anguilla was probably NOT as safe as the general perception. That slow, steady deterioration had gone unnoticed by most tourists, but not by those of us who live on the island.

PBR (Post Blanchard’s Robbery): For those who’ve seen the story, Anguilla is now safer than your damaged perception. After a few days here, you’ll feel that nothing has changed. And that would true for everyone…

Except for the one person who happens to get robbed or worse.

So DO take precautions… for now. Can I confidently tell you, for example, that you’re safe if you go to Little Bay to snorkel in that perfect little spot?

99% sure, yes. You will ALMOST surely be fine. But that “absolute confidence” is gone… for now.

That’s unacceptable. We MUST get that back. More on how we do that below (HINT: It’s not by making YOU safe.)

6) As I said, the publicity got a lot of people’s attention, both private and public interests. It’s too bad that it took that long to get our attention. (Humans do seem to be a reactive species in all things.)

Aside from local, private initiatives, a more comprehensive project is falling into place. It is called “Take Anguilla Back.” You can read the most recent iteration (V5) here (right-click to download).

It is NOT only about making tourists safe (creating compounds), it is about making all of Anguilla safe by preventing and defeating crime, period….

Moms should feel no worries when sending their children to school.

Local merchants should not worry if someone is carrying a gun.

I never want to look over my shoulder when we go surfing off the point of Forest Bay.

And you want to climb to the top of Windward Point without worry… without even worrying about worry.

The only way to do that is to fix crime island-wide.

That is what “Take Anguilla Back” (“TAB”) is all about.

7) Things get pretty political here in Anguilla, but the TAB Mailing List that was established to discuss and move this project forward has been productive AND collaborative, doubling in size.

Haydn Hughes, the Permanent Secretary who is THE man who is in charge of tourism, has been remarkable.

The Governor, Alistair Harrison, who is in charge of internal security and the police, has been silent. I hope that he is merely waiting for directions from London.

8 ) When I say that things get “political,” I don’t only mean the politicians. Last week, unfortunately, a prominent Anguillian took a political swipe at expats and at “Take Anguilla Back” (“TAB”) in The Anguillian newspaper…

Our Mailing List went silent for 3 days. It has now rebounded and we move ahead.

9) Haydn Hughes and the government seem to be on board (we hope to finalize their financial participation shortly). I meet with the head of the AHTA this Wednesday to organize funding for the TAB Fund. (The Fund starts with $50,000 from a private citizen, to be matched by Government, Governor and private interests.)

With or without the Governor’s involvement, we WILL move this ahead.

(TAB is built upon the foundation of a St. Kitts program that has been remarkably successful. And TAB adds a key concept of mobilizing the population to “take Anguilla back.” Details are in the pdf document above.)

I will update you on progress here periodically (subscribe to the RSS feed).

10) There are at least 3 more significant and genuinely exciting developments. It is not my place to announce them, but do expect tangible good news very shortly.

Changing Crime Without Changing The Island

“Take Anguilla Back” gets to the heart of beating crime in a way that does not change the island’s nature. Hon. Haydn Hughes spoke of how our unique form of tourism evolved here…

If we don’t beat this thing, we will indeed lose what took 30 years to build.

A TA poster called “Mstvl” spoke about how she does not “want to be locked up in a concrete compound on the beach.” Well…

If you ever see that happen, know that “the real Anguilla” has died.

It must never happen. By helping to make ALL of Anguilla safe, Anguillians and tourists, we won’t have enclaves or all-inclusives.

We’ll have the real Anguilla, safer than ever.

So many key people are helping to make TAB happen… Haydn (gov’t), Gilda (AHTA), Caribbean Associated Attorney (free legal work), volunteers experienced in accounting and reporting/transparency, the support of Mark Romney (head of Lime, which is developing one of those exciting projects), key advisors who prefer to remain nameless, and many villa and restaurant owners…

It’s already a big team effort.

Can it still be derailed? Anything can happen! The article in the newspaper was a blindside. The government might let us down. The Governor may do, well, I’m not sure what he might do (I do wish he’d speak out and help, though).

CONCLUSION: I believe that we’ll make Anguilla as safe as it was when we first vacationed here. We WILL get there if the culture of collaboration that has been established in the TAB group holds true and if those in key positions support it.

SUGGESTION: If you feel it’s important to report a crime, do so. Post it (in the Facebook-or-blog comments below, or at TA or Yuku or other Anguilla forum). Leave it at that. It’s relevant information for tourists AND it lets everyone here know that you’re paying attention!

But there’s no need to make it a political movement. THAT message has been received from tourists, loud and clear!

WORRY: My only worry? If all this TAB activity that is heading in the right direction drifts away into inaction, if nothing gets done.. we WILL have a problem.

The BIG picture has been heading in the wrong direction for years now. YOU are “the customer.” It’s YOUR feedback and reports that count.

BOTTOM LINE: Should you vacation here?

Of course! It’s still 99% the same Anguilla. As I posted in the “mega-thread,” you can still safely explore anywhere, get out of the car anywhere.

You still meet and talk with the same friendly people, visit the varied and magnificent beaches, with the the same sunny desert conditions, and the best set of beach bars and restaurants in the world.

Anguilla is still safe, but…

Until we set crime back to where it was (minimal and trivial), don’t walk around Blowing Point at night. And skip Little Bay this time around, just to be 100% safe. Take a few precautions that you might not have done in previous years.

That’s about it.

There has been no reply from the Governor, but it appears that Government will participate financially. We meet this week with the AHTA to organize funding.

A setback from an article in The Anguillian was temporary. We look forward to receiving constructive criticism going forward.

As always, the final endpoint of this program is to make Anguilla safer than it ever was.

For those interested, right-click on this link (or control-click if on Mac) to download v3 of the Take Anguilla Back Report. Changes include the removal of a special designation and suggestion for study on prison conditions.

It also adds information about the CCTV suggestion in the document (4.3.7). Mark Romney, GM of Lime, posted to the Mailing List about a CCTV project which includes a Control Centre to be operated by the RAPF which will go a long way in deterring crime. This will indeed be a reality!

Lee Bertman, President Caribbean Cable Communications, has offered assistance.

Support from our 2 major communications companies is a huge step forward!

Download v4 of the Take Anguilla Back plan here.

There has been a great deal of progress and we are hoping that the Governor, Government, ATB and the AHTA will soon be able to issue a press release detailing…

1) a strong plan to prevent and combat crime in Anguilla

2) actions that have already been put in place, as well as those are imminent.

The final endpoint of this program is to make Anguilla safer than it ever was.

For those interested, right-click on this link (or control-click if on Mac) to download v3 of the Take Anguilla Back Report.

One recent incident, a robbery of Blanchards Restaurant gathered much attention in various forums. While crime has been the subject of much discussion, no effective action has resulted. Extensive research has resulted in this action-oriented, comprehensive report/plan on how to reverse the increasing amount of crime in Anguilla….

Take Anguilla Back (NOTE: This is the most recent update, Version 4)

(Right-click to download, left-click to read in your browser)

Attached is a press release statement, on recommendations on the way forward from the Anguilla Tourist Board, the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association, and the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce, presented to the Government, Commissioner and Governor.

These measures came as a result of the first meeting which was held by the three organization, The Governor and the Police Commissioner on February 4th, 2013.

( Please note that this is a joint statement of the three organizations)

Regards,
Gilda Gumbs-Samuel ( Mrs.)
Executive Director
Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association

You can read (left-click) or download (right click) the press release attachment here.

Bottom line? I have read this, first saw it last week. Almost 3 weeks “post-Blanchards,” we are still lacking a strong, visionary and yet do-able plan.

This appears, at best, to be some sort of stopgap measure. We need much more than this to protect our citizens and tourists. It needs to be better defined to comment in more detail.

“On Sunday 30th January 2013 Police responded to a report of a Robbery at Little Bay, on arrival it was reported that four tourist were on the beach, three in the water and one on the sand, when two masked men came down the Hill approached the one on the sand assaulted her and took all their belongings and climbed back up the Hill. Police are conducting Investigation

On Monday 11th February 2013 Police arrested and charged S.T of South Valley for handling stolen goods after he was found in possession of a cell phone stolen during a Robbery of four tourist at Little Bay on Sunday 30th January 2013, he was taken before the Magistrate Court on Wednesday 13thFebruary 2013 and granted bailed until the 3rd May 2013.

On Friday 15th February 2013 Police arrested and charged three young men from the Valley for the Robbery of the four tourist at Little Bay on Sunday 30th January 2013. K.L, G.S and C.L appeared before the Magistrate Court on Friday 15th February 2013 and were all remanded to her Majesty Prison until Friday 22nd February 2013. Some of the stolen items were recovered.”

Well done, RAPF! Solving crime is a big part of preventing it. After all, it does not pay if you end up in jail!

Of the 7 elected politicians, only Haydn Hughes, Parliamentary Secretary In Charge of Tourism, has made any posts to the mailing list. His last one, his 5th, was a major breakthrough!

We now need only the Governor to agree to meet and review the full plan.

The mailing list thread started with a comprehensive review of the situation and proposed clear, do-able ACTIONS. In the days that followed, the plan sharpened, but was still waiting for YES answers from the Hon. Haydn Hughes and the British Governor, Alistair Harrison.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Governor is legally and constitutionally responsible for our external defense and internal security including the police. And the government pays the bills. So buy-in is necessary from both.

Here is the essence of that plan, called…

“Take Anguilla Back”

The goal is to galvanize the population into fighting the threat that lies within, the criminal element. Most don’t realize how crime on tourists can rapidly push this country back into poverty.

When they understand that silence dooms the island, they will TAKE ANGUILLA BACK from the thieves, gangs and murderers that terrorize them locally and that controls our future internationally.

The plan focuses on making EVERYONE safe, residents and tourists. While there is some emphasis on eliminating tourist crime, stopping crime on everyone in Anguilla is the full goal.

The plan lays out a “marketing program” that is basically free and that will be highly effective (assuming that all the key stakeholders are truly on board).

The foundation of the program is the establishment of a “Take Anguilla Back” fund. This fund, and the use of, follows the St. Kitts model which has cut the number of murders from 35 in 2011 to 20 in 2012, and has reduced serious crime by 61% in that same time span, just one year.

The concept is simple. Managers of the fund (and we have learned a lot from the person who instituted this program in St. Kitts) work with the Commissioner. The question is simple…

“Commissioner Proctor, what do you need?”

They prioritize by starting with whatever makes the single biggest difference and continue working from there. And you never, ever stop getting better.

The plan also proposes a solution to the fear by Anguillians of giving information about crimes. It is a tight-knit society. Everyone knows everyone else’s business.

They are too afraid that anonymity will be lost with the current system. They are scared of the retribution that will follow.

The program used by St. Kitts has been customized for complete anonymity. And people have responded, breaking crimes that have resulted in arrests AND preventing other crimes.

In addition to providing funding for needed equipment key recommendations include…

1) Increase police presence dramatically. It can be done without hiring

2) Random checks of cars and homes for guns.

3) Random checks of beaches, especially the more isolated ones where you may often see a single group.

4) Neighborhood patrols — “hello, how are things?”

5) Intensive local marketing to educate Anguillians to how a small number of thugs are threatening their futures. Includes an anthem by Bankie Banx.

6) There is a rapid funding plan in place. One private individual has pledged US$50,000 if it is matched by the Government, Governor and 3 other individuals or groups.

(The St. Kitts program found that it was important for government to have a reasonable level of “skin in the game.”)

That $300,000 can deliver a world of help for the RAPF. It will put “The TAB Revolution” firmly on the way. Every penny will be used to “Take Anguilla Back.”

We will enable the Commissioner Proctor to make EVERYONE safe (and then ever safer). We will inspire and mobilize the people to the clarion call….

“TAKE ANGUILLA BACK” (complete with anthem)

All that this requires is the ACTION of saying “yes, I want to see more”…

There is a lot more to the program. We’re waiting for the Governor to set a date to meet with Haydn and the Commissioner before putting it online.

He has yet to say a word to the mailing list. Haydn is trying to set a date to meet ASAP. If we don’t meet by Monday, I will publish the plan on Monday night.

I see no reason why this presentation would not happen. There is no obligation to reviewing the plan in full. If the Governor and government decide to go with it, $50,000 is a small amount to win a battle that all agree must be won at all costs.

That is the summary of what has happened from February 6-14, 2013. Several members criticized Haydn Hughes, Parliamentary Secretary In Charge of Tourism, for several of his replies, which appeared to them to be “just more words” and not ACTION. At least, though, he WAS interacting with people on the mailing list, unlike the Governor who had remained silent (and remains so).

On February 15, Haydn Hughes, Parliamentary Secretary In Charge of Tourism, shocked everyone. He wrote a compelling, inclusive, non-political, ACTION-oriented letter that said far more than “yes.” Here is that letter (reprinted with his permission). While it specifically addresses two members who had been critical, it is actually written to all, as you will see…

Hon. Haydn Hughes has received a lot of criticism since the Blanchard robbery on January 31. He was criticized for his “Address on crime.” His replies in our mailing list were oft-”mashed,” including my me (Ken Evoy).

Instead of pulling his head back into the metaphorical tortoise shell, he learned and tried again. If everyone can put the toxic mix of political bickering behind them and deal with crime as a unified team, beating this problem becomes almost easy. If not, expect the island to burn while they all fiddle around.

I am sure that some will be unable to overcome their cynicism. Several people have written me to not trust the letter or the man. That is the type of attitude that will doom us. An analysis of Haydn Hughes’ letter shows that the man deserves the benefit of the doubt. It…

1) goes above and beyond — all he needed to say was, “OK, sure, let’s meet.”

2) simply rings true (consistent in tone throughout, presents one compelling vision and it avoids blaming or antagonizing anyone, choosing instead to look to the future, not the past)

3) has no ulterior motive. There is nothing in it for Haydn Hughes to write this if he does not mean it. This letter binds him and all involved to raise their games.

4) puts him on record as being deeply committed to do what’s right and to not playing politics.

It is up to him and everyone to live up to that vision. If everyone does that, if we all act with the best interests of the people truly at heart, crime will be handily defeated.

In this little island that we call home, EVERY organization (British governor, Anguillian government, private organizations) plays politics, holds grudges, works on the basis of distrust. The most important part of his letter is the leadership that re-sets tolerance for game-playing to zero. It pushes all parties to govern themselves accordingly…

All of us must look to the future and pull together. As I said in my reply to that letter…

Yours is the letter of a committed statesman. Humble yet bold, openly transparent and embracing, ISSUE-focused and devoid of any politics, it is remarkable.

Your clear call to ACTION BY ALL is unmissable.

THIS is the hand that we all needed.

Unfortunately, it is also the sound of “one hand clapping.” We need one more hand so that we can ALL start clapping loudly against crime.

Thank you, Mr. Hughes, for reaching out. Please, Governor, grab that hand in friendship. The step is small..

Just say “yes” to meeting. It is the first step towards what we all must do…

Take Anguilla Back