Date Posted: July 15, 2008:

In a post Summer Festival 2008 address, Anguilla's Commissioner of Police, Mr. Keithly Benjamin  directly addressed the violence that marred the end of an otherwise peaceful summer festival and strongly admonished Anguillians who through silence or otherwise, allow the perpetrators of such violence to go unpunished.

In the direct, strongly worded address, the Commissioner said  " Anyone who witnessed persons throwing stones and bottles from the roof top of Mogees ( A business establishment in The Valley) or anywhere else, endangering the lives of so many innocent persons or the stabbing of the two victims regardless of where they are from, and failed to contribute to them accounting for their reckless, devious and dangerous acts will be just as cold blooded as those who did the stabbing and are in hiding." 

The full text of the address is as follows:

Citizens, residents and visitors, it is very disappointing that what was generally a peaceful 2008 summer festival was marred by such tragic incidents, particularly during our last lap jam which lead to the senseless and heinous death of Orlando Johnson. The stabbing of Kareem Lake and the wounding of Rose Richardson and although not directly related to the summer festival, we had our 2nd road fatality which took the life of Clinton Richardson a.k.a Rock.

The pundits out there were very emotional on 103.3 Kool FM, on the highways and where ever there was an audience, pointing fingers and attaching blame to many persons including the Royal Anguilla Police Force, as they sought to address what caused the problems, what are the problems, but many were short on solutions to the problems.

The reckless and irresponsible behaviour by the persons, allegedly from The Valley, South Hill and Blowing Point displayed during last lap can only be described as out right stupidity and must not be condoned by the hundreds of persons who witnessed the chaos. Anyone who witnessed persons throwing stones and bottles from the roof top of Mogees or anywhere else, endangering the lives of so many innocent persons or the stabbing of the two victims regardless of where they are from, and failed to contribute to them accounting for their reckless, devious and dangerous acts will be just as cold blooded as those who did the stabbing and are in hiding.

We have among us some misguided youngsters whose only purpose is to unleash their fury on anyone in the line of fire as was the case for last lap. While there will always be a degree of loyalty by parents, who are very often in denial about their children, the others of you who saw wrong must stand up for a principle so that some corrective measures can be taken to assist both parent and child in denial.

The parents of Orlando and Kareem are the victims now, by what occurred on Saturday and we are fortunate that we were spared. If this incident does not allow you to denounce what happened and assist us in building a strong case against the guilty ones, then you should stop asking what this country is coming too, or what anyone is doing to curb the violence, when you are doing everything you can to ensure that it continues. Everyone wants the perpetrators off the streets and locked away but no one wants to be involved.

This police force will only be as successful as you want it to be. Too long you have being hiding behind the perception of the police being unconfidential and allow the criminal to roam free and the social fabric of our country to erode. Too long you have being asking why the police don’t beat up the hooligans and lock them away. Too long you have being asking why we don’t bring in persons from wherever they can come just to deal with our problems when you have the solutions right here.

Many of you talk about our revolution but the success of that was premised on team effort where everyone in the struggle was committed to the outcome. No fingers were pointed then. No one said they are not getting involved and we did not rely on outsiders to motivate us towards separation. The violence among us is a much similar problem because the number of persons involved is very small. If I should use the number of persons wearing blue and red shirts during last lap as a yard stick it is clear they were out numbered 10-1 by the remainder attending the last lap.

It behooves me why we have not received more assistance in the way of information, than we have to date. Whatever little evidence we have against the persons who were arrested, I am making it emphatically clear that we will go to court and we will fight with what we have because that will be the strength of the case you allowed us to have. We will not resort to illegal measures because there is no reason to do so. We will continue to pursue our mandate despite the challenges experienced during the last lap where one of our police officers also sustained an injury. I commend her resilience and commitment to duty in pursuing those responsible despite the pain suffered.

Our mandate involves putting our lives on the line which was clear to all during the mayhem. Unfortunately, it is very disturbing and disheartening to hear the criticism meted out in trying to protect you. Further the disrespect shown to those recruited from overseas when Anguillians continue to refuse to join the Royal Anguilla Police Force; I will be first to admit that some of the officers from overseas can raise their standard and contribute more but similarly some work twice as hard as some Anguillian officers for your safety.

We do not feel it is too much to ask for your support in removing the threat to your safety and the means of your livelihood from intermingling with us law abiding citizens. We do not feel that because we have taken an oath to act on your behalf that you were divested of your responsibility to ensure that we had the tools to discharge the duties entrusted to us. We do not feel that the uniform we wear is sufficient for you to abandon and refuse to support us except when the problems we have to deal with fall on your door step. We feel that the nature of our duties demands your support and we should work towards that common goal where this country will be safer.

I will refrain from dwelling too much on what has happened during last lap but rather appeal to you to be part of the solution. However, I am aware that it is being said that members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force turned back the valley group from going to Sandy Ground. I will reiterate a statement from the opening night address that everyone is free to move around this country as they see fit and when that freedom is disturbed those responsible must be held accountable. This includes the members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force because we cannot arbitrarily disturb your right to free movement. I have sought to ascertain whether members acted in the manner alleged and to date it is not substantiated that they did. The allegation is disturbing because we promised that everyone would have participated in the island wide celebration. I am still willing to entertain anyone who can lend support for or against the allegation on the part of the police to address it internally.

Whatever led to The Valley group turning back from Water Swamp is no justification for what happened during last lap. The violence during last lap was an opportunity lost to prove to the youngsters from South Hill and Blowing Point that they had nothing to fear in coming to The Valley and that the stupidity which causes them to fight will not be prolonged. Instead their premeditated actions have dampened, what was until then a relatively peaceful summer festival.

I am aware that many suggestions are being made regarding changing the programme for carnival which will be addressed at the appropriate time. I am of the view if you do not condone the violent behaviour and contribute towards workable solutions, the persons responsible will find other ways to dispense their vicious and wicked intentions whether there is carnival or not.

I trust the death of Orlando, the stabbing of Kareem and also the death of Clinton Richardson will be lessons for all the participants of what the outcome will be, should you continue to engage in such behaviour. I urge the various factions not to resort to retaliatory measures which may lead to further loss of life. The size of our island requires that we live harmoniously because it is difficult to avoid each other. You cannot bring back Orlando but you can learn from the circumstances that caused his death.

You can now be that voice for him to make sure that the person in custody who will be charged for causing his death will never be able to live among us freely and is punished for his actions.

I extend my profound sympathy to the family of Orlando during this period as I seek to reassure you that the perpetrator will be held accountable. Similarly, I extend my condolences to the family of Clinton Richardson as they mourn his loss and wish the other victims and family of Kareem and Rose a speedy recovery.

Finally, I cannot over emphasize that your failure to support us is a contribution to your demise and the demise of our country. The persons responsible are few in number and know of no reason why they are engaged in violence. Let us all commit to addressing the problems and render help where it is meaningful. Let us hold the guilty ones accountable. This is a partnership and we will do our part. We look forward to your support.