A British ship has been helping suppress gang-related violence in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Royal Navy say here that Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Tideforce, with her embarked Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, were on operations supporting aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the North Atlantic when they were diverted to support a request from the Governor of the British Overseas Territory.
“A violent upsurge in gang-related murders fuelled by drugs, weapons and turf-wars had created an unprecedented security situation. Tideforce, with her specialist airborne capability, provided UK reassurance and commitment to the people of the Turks and Caicos through patrol, surveillance and reporting operations.”
Lieutenant Commander Phil Barron, the ship’s Flight Commander, was quoted as saying:
“The Wildcat helicopter is able to use its array of sensors to conduct persistent surveillance and reconnaissance of a predetermined area chosen by the local policing effort. Using the radar and electro optical camera it was also possible to find and track suspect vessels at sea and report their location for onward interception and boarding.
Overland, using the thermal and optical cameras, it is possible to provide imagery of sensitive areas within the gang territories or hideouts and report any suspicious activity to the police. Captured data can also be used as evidence to assist in criminal prosecutions.”
According to the Royal Navy, the Caribbean islands therefore find themselves in the direct line of illegal gang, drugs, weapons, migrant and fishery exploitation activities.
“Tideforce’s operations were carried out in support of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force’s Marine Branch and the Governor – helping to protect their population and safeguard territorial waters from criminal challenges.”
Captain Chris Clarke, Commanding Officer of RFA Tideforce, was also quoted:
“This is the second time in a month that the RFA ship’s company and embarked Royal Navy flight have supported the people and government of the Turks and Caicos Islands – firstly following the Category 3 Hurricane Fiona, and now in the important work to supress the shocking level of gang-related violence facilitated by porous maritime borders. Through the combined efforts of everyone involved, all working in unison to support the Police Force: arrests, weapon and drug seizures have been made.”
The Governor, Nigel Dakin, said:
“The surveillance capability provided by Tideforce’s helicopter provided perfect top-cover to muscular policing activity conducted by the Tactical Firearm’s Unit of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, reinforced by similar specialist officers from the Bahamas. The same helicopter was invaluable in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona. I was able to thank the Captain and crew personally – we remain extremely grateful here, to those who serve away from their families, as they protect ours. I’m pleased to say that UK Police and the UK’s National Crime Agency will be part of ongoing support to the islands, including deployments of firearms trainers, forensics experts and detectives.”
Tideforce will remain on notice in the Caribbean while she works with Royal Navy partners in the US Navy and Military Sealift Command. Tideforce completes her deployment and returns to the UK in December, you can read more from the Royal Navy on this here.
The overseas dependency of ‘Tower Hamlets?’
https://i.postimg.cc/JnDyGchF/56.jpg
Beaten to it by Jim, Tower Hamlets is Yuppieville on steroids. Now, West Reading… there’s a shoite hole.
You know tower hamlets is the richest most productive local authority area in the country? Things have changed a lot since 80’s.
Against what absolute do you measure that assertion? Do tell.
GVA per head excluding city of London.
That is not an absolute: it an opinion.
It is a Government statistic. A lot of investment has gone into these areas (both public and private) and that is showing benefit overall. Some residents might not see it that way.
Abstract Canary Wharf and its denizens, who mostly don’t live in Tower Hamlets, and all you have left is a collection of 3rd world diseases, held together by poverty, unemployment and varying levels of violence and criminality. I am a Londoner, a real one.
Yeah that’s a pretty accurate description 😀
I had the misfortune to live at the edge of Tower Hamlets for a couple of years.
I have never known a more corrupt and criminal area in the UK. I say that having lived in Fallowfield Manchester which is next to Mosside……
Was the GVA calculated on the basis of the uplift in the value of drugs when they were parcelled up? If so that would certainly explain it.
Bravo Terence. Londoner here too, luckily I moved away and won’t ever go back.
Not the London I grew up in, knew and loved.
I was told it supplied more ISIS recruits than some countries in the middle east. I didn’t even question the accuracy of the information, no need to.
We really need a better solution not just for overseas territories but also for crown dependencies and smaller Commonwealth realms. Building a fleet of 40 Black Swan sloops of war used primarily to house PODS and Drones would allow us to deploy one with minimal crew in every territory. Minimal forward deployed crews that could then be supplanted with specialist teams from Army, Marines, Navy or Airforce depending on mission sets required. They could even be crewed by RFA personnel based in country. Would massively increase the UK visibility globally for a very small cost and give us a highly… Read more »
Agree totally. Just do it, parliament.
Overseas territories are by and large self governing so they need to request assistance. If you talk to the populations of many ex colonies they would just love Britain to free them of gangs & corruption. Their Governments less so.
‘If you talk to the populations of many ex colonies they would just love Britain to free them of gangs & corruption. Their Governments less so.‘
I wonder why that is.
Why would we need vessels permanently forward deployed for the crown dependencies: ie Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man? It wouldn’t take the RN long to reach these from its existing bases. As there’s only 14 overseas territories; including the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas, so why do we need so many vessels? As you’d be looking at River 2 type vessels at £150m each, then the CAPEX for these would be £6bn. Surely if there was that money lying around another 5 x T26 frigates or 20 x T31 frigates would be of more use to the RN? As for “smaller… Read more »
Black swan study was for vessels significantly cheaper than Batch 2 rivers. Crown dependencies maybe a stretch but maybe not if they can contribute.
Disaster relief would be a key requirement for smaller Commonwealth realms. However as we are seeing in Solomon Islands these nations can be strategic and useful. Having a large fleet of forward deployed second rate warships operating fleets of drones can be useful especially when no one else has them. Operating from British territories and realms allows for global reach.
If they are significantly cheaper than the Rivers then I can’t imagine they’d be much use for anything. They’d be fourth-rate ships after the T26, T31 and Rivers.
Still don’t see why Man, Jersey and Guernsey would feel the need for these either.
You don’t need 40 vessels for disaster relief.
We don’t have any ‘realms’, we have 3 dependencies and 14 overseas territories. They don’t warrant a fleet of this size, not even a ship each let alone the 2 proposed, and such cheap vessels would give no ability to actually do anything.
Jersey was feeling the need for sure recently against French fisherman. All have major cable dependencies issues and under water infrastructure problems as well.
If we are running power cables up from the Sahara then we will need a substantial force of such vessels in the western Mediterranean or Atlantic coast of Europe based in Gibraltar.
Have you read the MOD study on the Black Swan, it makes a compelling case.
The idea is very much a flexible drone carrier based on an OSV or Dive support vessel.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-concept-note-1-12-future-black-swan-class-sloop-of-war-a-group-system
Have a K50 Kraken hang around when it comes into service 😉
The MOD study has been withdrawn and is stamped as no-longer being authoritative. Essentially it suggests a design similar to a Norwegian coast-guard vessel, these are not the ‘second rate warships’ you talk about, it’s forth rate behind the Rivers. The temporary issues with French fisherman was comfortably dealt with existing assets. No need to have 2 vessels permanently stationed at every dependency/territory on the off-chance of rowdy French fishermen showing-up. We don’t have vessels spread across the Atlantic protecting internet cables. We don’t have vessels deployed the length of the Norway to U.K. electricity cable (the longest in existence).… Read more »
Just to clarify the ‘having’ of Realms Sean-there are from memory 14 countries that retain the King as Head of State. Obviously the larger ones such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand would not need the kind of assistance proposed by Jim but smaller Realms such as those in the Caribbean and Pacific certainly need such assistance. Even though they are fully independent politically, the remaining link with the Monarchy deserves acknowledging in real terms by rendering such assistance as proposed by James🙂
Jim is not proposing we render help to these nations, he’s proposing we permanently base a RN armed tugboat in each of them – apparently regardless of whether they want it or not.
Personally I think we should render aid and assistance both to them and any small nation that requests it times of disaster or instability, regardless of who the titular head of state is. It’s both the humane thing to do and the politically savvy things to do. But doing so doesn’t require his fleet of Primark-Class tugboats.
The way this Govt are going, I’d suggest deleting your ‘tugboat’ and inserting ‘kayak’ with the bonus that the Govt could big up their environmental credentials to boot.
Thanks Sean-fair comment
I worked on a project when Britain’s Overseas Dependencies became Territories. Most of those are small and scattered across the global south, the result of an 18th century enthusiasm by blokes in pigtails to jump ashore on some sandy island and claim it for King George (add number) resulting in the oddity that damp and grey Blighty is ‘responsible’ for a massive amount of threatened coral. I digress. The problematic ones are in the Caribbean and the problem is drug smuggling into a former colony – that’s done jolly well for itself, what!? A good reason to hang on to… Read more »
I’m pretty sure the drug smuggling is done in/out of former colonies which are now independent nations. If they need help they’ll ask, they’ll take a dim if us trying to impose a RN ship on them. As for the overseas territories, we hung onto most of them for hundreds of years without the need to have a RN tugboat parked offshore. It’s been 40 years since anyone tried to annex one and I can’t see anyone trying again after what happened then. And if someone did, a RN tugboat isn’t going to stop them. While China has annexed shoals… Read more »
As you said Barry, having something keeps them in the fold. Look at the Solomon Islands, how much longer will Australia keep standing by while China moves ships, aircraft and troops onto their porch? They (China) recently sent a security force to the islands to restore order. That has seen progression to them signing a security and investment agreement with the Solomans. China paid for and built the new Solonoms Parliament. Would that have happened had we kept real tabs and commitment to them? I think it wouldn’t, they would have retained their British links. Now, even the US is… Read more »
It’s naive to think having a RN gunboat sat off the Solomon Islands wouldn’t have dissuaded them from taking huge wads of cash from the Chinese.
The Australians will “stand by”, because unlike Mad Vlad they don’t invade other sovereign nations. Hopefully the West can influence other nations in the region through soft-power to not fall for the Chinese loanshark trick. The Solomons will rue the day they accepted Chinese investment, just like most other countries that have.
Yes, it’s niiave to think that.
And you are right, they will rue the day
A very small cost?? I don’t think so some how.
Sub $50 million per ship.
And what will $50M get you these days? And how did you come to this figure?
The report you quote says £65m per ship at 2017 prices, so £100m today.
We need a better solution to protect the British mainland from Albanian criminals. And corrupt politicians like Sunak. The Royal should be protecting the British Isles, if they can do it for over seas territories they can bloody well do it for the British tax payer!
Navy, Royal Navy. Shite phone.
I didn’t know which you meant. We were called Royals, the Navy will forever be the Andrew
I thought you were the cross dressers? Naked beach partiers? Taxi.
And how is the RN supposed to do that ffs?!?
Sink unarmed small boats as they enter our half of the Channel killing those on board?
Tow them back into French waters and violate their sovereignty, and risking a face-off with the French Navy?
If there was an east answer the politicians would have taken it years ago.
Please provide evidence for Sunak’s corruption, a link will suffice.
Yes, sink the boats. I see no issue with this at all. That’s generally what countries do when they’re being invaded, I don’t care if its over the course of a year or in a day; 40,000+ men from one country arriving on British shores is an invasion. The Vikings came with significantly less than that and that’s classified as an invasion, I see no logical issue with calling this an invasion too… unless you really believe that those 40,000+ (at least 10 of which are on Interpols most wanted list) illegals really are gay and fear persecution in Albania?… Read more »
Ah we have a conspiracy nutter in our midst, one of those that believe the WEF is some sinister shadow world government. You probably also believe the Corvid vaccine is part of a WEF plot to commit mass genocide. Yeah I know all about your sort thanks to social media. You all believe that these Albanians are a private army recruited and trained by the WEF to otherthrow the British state… 🤣 But on top of being a conspiracy theorist you’re a fascist too. One of the great thinks the U.K. has given the world is the concept of habeas… Read more »
There was an easy answer, stay in the EU.
This problem existed when we were in the EU, so clearly you’re wrong. Given the EU is doomed to implode anyway we need a solution that will last the collapse of political fantasies.
All but 5 in the last year of membership of the EU were returned. You like facts, don’t you?
As to imploding, dream on, 12 years of a Con govt of lies, leaves us with even the nurses voting for strike action. That’s another fact, by the way.
I like facts, just not when people fabricate them as you just did. Oh it’s not a dream it’s a nightmare, which is I’m glad we out out of it. The EU collapse maybe as peaceful as Czechoslovakia, but it could easily be as bad as Yugoslavia. I find it tragic that a transnational political class seeks to impose a federal state against the wishes of their populations. Actually the nurses voted to strike in Scotland, where the NHS is run by the Scot’s Nats government, and in Wales, where the NHS is run by the Labour government. In England,… Read more »
Once again the value of the helicopter is proved. Whether that’s for surveillance, interdiction or humanitarian assistance.
Is there a river class in the Caribbean? Maybe a dedicated police unit that could help when needed would be useful. When it’s not busy it can work on uk stuff. Make it rapidly deployable
Yes one is in the area.
HMS Medway; believed to be in second yr. of a five year deployment. Damn, assumed the Carribean task group was largely occupied applying suntan lotion to the more attractive tourists to forestall painful sunburns, and in reality, being forced into real missions. 🤔😳😉 Trying not to be too envious of these postings, but not succeeding very well. 😁
I’ve always liked the idea of getting a dedicated small logistics vessel for the Caribbean. Similar to what the Dutch have in HNLMS Pelikaan, but with a single RAS station to refuel the River and escort assigned to the Caribbean. Then that can free up the larger RFA vessels for other deployments.
🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Thought Turks and Caicos had a Defence Force affiliated to the British Army similar to Bermuda Regiment and others? Cant they deal with it!!
Presumably they were trying to, but I guess they’d don’t have any/sufficient air assets as all that’s seems to have been provided is the Wildcat.
Yes guess so.
Air Assets is what we need more of but a cheaper option as Wildcat is an expensive bit of kit when a cheaper option may be more useful such as the H145 with a camera fit. Help the locals a lot too. The Rivers should really have a hanger on them but with a large long endurance UAV as basic fit then it could also do such roles at a fraction of the cost. MOD needs to sort itself out as really so much dithering has been the way on introduction of some good kit to make these small units… Read more »
I think the cheaper option should be a large multipurpose UAV rather than adding another helicopter type. I would be amazed if the RN doesn’t have plans for equipping each of the Rivers with at least one on a permanent basis.
But the MoD/ RN does seem to be dithering as whether to what they need, whether to buy off-the-shelf or to commission an adaptation or a completely new design.
Hopefully if successful on the Rivers such a UAV can be rolled out across the fleet as a supplement to Wildcats.
As far as I know about 6 officers, and 40 plus Marine Reserves 🤔