Anguillians will
all be aware of the police press release of Monday 25th May which sought
information from the public about,
a small blue
boat with white engines motoring (in contravention of Anguilla Border
Regulations) which dropped four persons into the water about 150 meters from
the beach. These persons swam to shore
and entered Anguilla illegally.
Now
on Wednesday 27th May we see a new police press release. It advises that,
The matter has
been fully investigated by the RAPF’s Major Crime Unit. They are satisfied having examined all the
evidence and interviewed a significant number of people, that this was not an
illegal landing. But, it was a local
breach of current Border Regulations by persons who are resident in Anguilla.
The
Emergency Powers (Covid-19 Border Control) Regulations 2020 prohibit the
operating of any boat in Anguillian waters without permission. For example, it criminalises taking a boat
ride from Sandy Ground to Blowing Point without permission. The penalty is imprisonment for 12 months or
a fine of up to EC$10,000.00.
Given
that the RAPF are telling us that it was a “breach of current Border
Regulations by persons who are resident in Anguilla”, it can be safely
assumed that permission was not granted.
The unstated suggestion in the release is
that the matter ends there.
Will
these persons be prosecuted?
Or,
will all charges be dropped?
I
thought this law applied equally to important persons as it does to common
Anguillians.
Or,
is the law applied one way for friends of the elite, and another way for you
and me?
The
real scandal is that the Royal Anguilla Police Force does not seem to
impartially enforce Anguilla’s laws. This
is not the first time it appears to take instructions on who to prosecute and
who to let go.
