Theft Attack – Magnetic Media

Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

Turks and Caicos Islands, 22 November 2024 – Just over five months on the job in the Turks and Caicos Islands as the newest Police Commissioner and now he is gone. Edvin Martin bid an unceremonious farewell, despite his enthusiastic optimism about disrupting negative crime trends on the islands.

On Thursday, November 21, residents learned that the six-week furlough would mean a complete absence from the role Mr Martin assumed on April 22, 2024.

Edvin Martin was suspiciously late in taking up his duties as Commissioner of the Royal TCI Police. military-style ceremony at the Downtown basketball court; He was initially expected to join the Force in February.

Facing untold odds, the man who once headed the Grenada Police Force showed up months late at TCI and didn’t even last six months.

Instead, the Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands announced the resignation of Martin, who is originally from Grenada.

“These circumstances are unavoidable due to a personal matter that requires Mr. Martin’s immediate attention. To maintain stability and direction, effective November 22, Deputy Commissioner Fitz Bailey will serve as Commissioner on an interim basis while a permanent recruitment process is progressed. Mr. Kendall Grant will serve as the second Deputy Commissioner alongside Deputy Commissioner Rodney Adams,” explained a statement from the office of TCI Governor Her Excellency Daleeni Daniel-Selveratnam.

It is also reported by other sources that a serious health condition lies behind Martin’s resignation. The governor stopped short of offering any reason for the sudden departure.

“The situation is saddening and I know this is a difficult decision for Mr. Martin and his family,” he said in a statement dated November 21.

This outcome, which follows Martin’s controversial recruitment, has further fueled public concerns about the UK’s management of national security. At the top of the list of suggestions is that the chief executive of the Royal TCI Police be a native of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

A local person has not held the position of Police Commissioner since 2011.

In March 2011, as the Turks and Caicos Islands prepared to return to elected rule after two years of direct rule by the United Kingdom, Canadian Colin Farquhar was hired to lead the police force.

Three years later, in February 2014, James Smith from Scotland was crowned commissioner, where he remained for five years.

In August 2019, Trevor Botting, who served as deputy police commissioner under James Smith, was promoted. Botting was a former senior police officer with the UK’s Sussex Police, who held the post of ‘senior constable’ in the Turks and Caicos Islands until November 2023, when he quietly left the post and an announcement ushered in the Edvin Martin era.

However, this period had to be postponed; first until February, then until May, but due to a sudden vacancy, Commissioner Martin’s arrival came early and was short-lived.

Turks and Caicos residents will be given the temporary role of TCI Police Commissioner for three months by Chris Eyre, former Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police. Eyre was sworn in in February 2024. However, Eyre would mysteriously disappear in April, leaving ahead of schedule. Edvin Martin would quickly get down to business and look fit and healthy.

Homeland Security leaders aimed to reassure residents and visitors that the unrest did not impact the fight against illegal immigration and gang-fueled crime.

And in the absence of the duly appointed police commissioner, leadership of the Police Force fell to DCP Rodney Adams or ACP Kendall. Grant, both natives of the Turks and Caicos Islands, will serve in Martin’s place.

Residents believe the fact that Adams and Grant were able to jump into the police command post is evidence that they are more enduringly qualified for the role. The Governor’s Office’s apparent resistance to hiring a Turks and Caicos Islander is a trend many have described as demeaning and demoralizing. Countless figures have been recorded to prove that if a Turks and Caicos Islander holds the reins for months, it is possible for him to hold the position indefinitely.

The rising murder rate and the apparent inability of ‘outsiders’ to effectively deliver desperately needed reductions in deadly crime are another reason why many are skeptical of British personnel selection.

The new interim commissioner is a Jamaican retiree: Fitz Bailey.

Bailey, a 40-year decorated officer with the Jamaica Constabulary who rose to the rank of deputy commissioner, was appointed to the position in early October when Martin’s leave of absence was announced.

“I am confident that Mr. Bailey is well positioned to lead the Force, drawing on his wealth of complex crime experience and strategic leadership. I thank the Governor and the officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force for their continued professionalism and dedicated service,” he said.

The news of Edvin Martin’s resignation stunned many residents.