Police at Turks and Caicos Islands are fighting to dismantle gangs and remove illegal firearms from the streets as part of their response to rising crime that has sparked warnings for travellers, the police commissioner says.
The British Overseas Territory is working to strengthen public safety across the islands and remains a “safe and welcoming destination,” Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey told CTVNews.ca.
“Like every nation, we face challenges, but the vast majority of incidents are inner- and inter-gang related,” Bailey said in an emailed statement Thursday. “These crimes are not directed at visitors or ordinary citizens.”
Bailey shared his comments in the wake of several governments’ travel advisories about the luxury destination. Global Affairs Canada has an active travel notice advising travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution” at all times because of the spike in crime at the popular tourist destination. The U.S. and U.K. governments currently have similar warnings as Canada. Meanwhile, a recent BBC News article cited a study that suggested the Turks and Caicos Islands are battling the worst murder per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean.
But Bailey played down the warnings, instead saying “the percentage of visitors affected by crime is extremely miniscule compared to the millions who enjoy our islands every year without incident.”
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is committed to safety and is strengthening its policing strategies, including working on creating a Tourism Policing Unit, Bailey said, without elaborating on the plan.
The territory has “significantly strengthened” its national security response, Kimo Tynes, director of communication for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, told CTVNews.ca in an email.
It deployed more specialized officers from regional partners and enhanced intelligence-sharing, he listed as examples.
“These measures are already producing tangible results as there has been a marked reduction in major incidents in 2025 as compared to the previous year,” he wrote on Friday. “While we recognise the concern raised by the Canadian Government’s advisory, it is important to note that the vast majority of visits to our islands continue to be trouble-free.”
In its current travel advice for the nation, Global Affairs Canada said the situation “could change quickly.”
GAC upgraded the risk level for the Turks and Caicos Islands on May 6. It made the change in response to “rising crime rates,” including incidents involving firearms, wrote spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod in an email to CTVNews.ca early this week.
‘Continue with caution’
Still, Canada’s travel advice is the second lowest risk level and it doesn’t recommend people avoid travelling to Turks and Caicos Islands, said Dylan Evans, security director at International SOS. Evans said his medical and security assistance organization has the same guidance.
“So travel can continue and should continue with caution,” Evans said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca from Vancouver earlier this week.
The surge in violence in Turks and Caicos Islands includes an incident that made international news. A shooting killed three men and injured 10 others at a popular nightspot on the island of Providenciales on July 27, The Associated Press reported. Officials called it the territory’s first mass shooting in recent history, according to AP.
Earlier in January, a local resident and an American police officer visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands were shot and killed at a popular restaurant in Providenciales, the Miami Herald reported. Last year, 48 people were murdered in the country that has an estimated 49,000 residents, according to the Miami Herald. The total was up from 23 in 2023.
The country’s violent crime includes gang-related incidents, armed robberies, armed home invasions, murders and sexual assaults, reads GAC’s advisory.
Tourists are not typically targeted in gang-related gun violence, GAC wrote, but they could be in the “wrong place at the wrong time.”
Crime in the territory is more common on Providenciales, where most residents live, though it happens throughout the islands, according to GAC.
Advice for travellers
The Canadian government said in its current travel advisory that crime tends to spike during the holidays, from December to January.
Travel safety experts advise visitors to take common precautions, such as avoiding leaving your belongings unattended and not walking alone at night. Travellers should ensure the resort or other accommodation has adequate security measures, such as 24-hour security, Evans suggested. Avoid using unlicensed “jitneys,” which have been connected to crimes, Visit Turks and Caicos Islands and the Canadian government said.
Still, Evans said he thinks the Turks and Caicos Islands government is making safety a “high priority” since tourism is vital to the country’s economy.
With files from The Associated Press
