The two new vessels will strengthen the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force’s emergency response and search and rescue capabilities. TURKS AND CAICOS GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORATE
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) has significantly fortified its maritime security capabilities with the commissioning of two new patrol vessels and the addition of dozens of regional security officers and new training. The vessels were provided on May 15 through a joint initiative of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the U.K. Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), the governor’s office and the RTCIPF.
The Sea Challenger and Sea Contender will join the RTCIPF’s Marine Branch. These vessels will strengthen the RTCIPF’s emergency response and search and rescue capabilities. The RNLI provided training for the vessels’ crews.
The commissioning ceremony for the new vessels took place at the Marine Branch headquarters in Long Bay, Providenciales. Top officials, including Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, Premier Charles Washington Misick, Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles and Speaker of Parliament Gordon Burton, attended the event. Daniel-Selvaratnam thanked the donors — the RNLI and the FCDO — for the two “beautiful and magnificent vessels,” the Turks and Caicos Sun reported.
“I remember when I first started in this post, and I came out with the Marine Unit on the boats. … They really are at the front line of the threats that the Turks and Caicos Islands face,” Daniel-Selvaratnam said. “They’re more than just the vessels themselves. What they demonstrate is how we are assuring our defense posture and really creating a step change in respect to managing the safety of the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Premier Charles Washington Misick stressed the vessels’ importance beyond their cost, the Turks and Caicos Sun reported: “The combined value of these vessels, I understand, is around $400,000, and so we’re grateful for that gift. … We will be receiving two other vessels this year, funded by the Turks and Caicos Islands Government for the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, with a combined value of around $4 million.” One will be delivered in August, and the other in December, he said.
“These are not just tools. They are symbols of our national resolve,” Misick said. “Our national resolve to defend our borders, to protect our marine resource, combat trafficking and uphold the rule of law. In a time of evolving regional threats, we are sending a clear message: We are vigilant, and we are prepared.”
In addition to the commissioning of the new vessels, the governor and premier announced new regional resources to bolster the RTCIPF, a news release said. Ten tactical officers from the Barbados Police Service arrived May 15 to provide strategic and operational security support. An additional 30 tactical officers from Jamaica arrived about a week later.
In June, CARICOM IMPACS, the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, commenced the first phase of an intelligence training program in the Turks and Caicos Islands for members of the RTCIPF, TCI Regiment, Border Force, HM Prison, Financial Intelligence Unit and the National Security Secretariat.
“These developments … reflect not only the strength of our enduring partnerships and regional solidarity in tackling shared threats, but also the deliberate and determined efforts of the National Security Council to underpin law enforcement efforts and enhance our national defense posture,” Daniel-Selvaratnam said in the news release. “This is more than an operational boost — it is a step change in how we confront crime, secure our borders and safeguard our citizens.”
On May 20, Misick announced that the government had allocated more than $105 million to public order and safety in its 2025-2026 budget. Misick outlined a strategy aimed at fighting crime, securing borders, strengthening law enforcement and making communities safer, the Turks and Caicos Weekly News reported.