TCI moves permanently to Atlantic Standard Time

From TCI News Now

When the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) moves its clocks forward one hour on Sunday, 8 March 2015, it will be for the last time – from then on the territory will observe Atlantic Standard Time (AST) rather than Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Given its proximity to the equator, TCI’s days tend to be of a similar length all year round, but when the Islands have traditionally moved to EST in November, it gets dark at about 5pm in the Islands. Now everyone will be able to enjoy the TCI’s warm sunshine until well after 6pm during the winter.

“This move will provide our visitor and residents with an extra hour of sunshine during our winter months, our peak tourist season,” said Donhue Gardiner, minster for border control and employment. ”This will be good news for our resorts, bars and restaurants, as well as allowing our residents to enjoy a little more sunshine at the end of their day.”

The decision was made to move permanently to AST in 2014, but only implemented now to allow proper notification of the relevant international authorities, including airlines and shipping companies.

TCI was previously in the same time zone – EST – and follows the same Daylight Savings Time schedule as most of eastern United States and Canada. Clocks are set one hour forward on the second Sunday in March and turned back one hour on the first Sunday in November. From 8 March 2015 TCI will be on AST all year round, making it one hour ahead of cities like New York and Toronto when the US and Canada who will continue to observe the move to EST each fall.

For more: http://www.tcinewsnow.com/topstory-TCI-moves-permanently-to-Atlantic-Standard-Time-7226.html

Whilst the Cayman Commish screams he wants more police, in the UK the government is planning more cuts and have proven better results with less.

See iNews Cayman story today: “[UK] Police forces all face major budget cuts”

“Every police force in England and Wales is preparing for major budget cuts over the next five years, the BBC has found.
“Forces are facing a 5% cut in government funding in 2015/16 and more cuts after the general election.
“Some forces are planning to reduce officer numbers to help them operate on smaller budgets.”

In the article it says, “former policing minister Damian Green said forces could do more to save money”.

Not surprisingly the statistical fact that falling crime levels are equating to less money in the police budgets, the Association of Police Officers said this does not mean police forces need less money. Peter Vaughan, the acting president said, “crime is only 28% of what we deal with on a daily basis”.

If that is a fact then the new technology available today should help the police considerably and the high police man power numbers are indeed not needed.

As Green says in the article the cuts in manpower have only just scratched the surface and he mentions technology alongside reorganisation.

There are many cries the cuts will endanger the public’s safety but there are some police Commish’s up to the challenge. Suffolk Police’s Commissioner, Tim Passmore, says the force is undergoing a “radical service redesign so that the constabulary can continue to keep people safe”.

The article that is related to the above is “Crime in England and Wales falls to new record low” and even when the stats have shown a rise in crime it has been put down to “better recording”.

“Last year, the national statistics watchdog said it could no longer approve figures recorded by the police because they were unreliable – prompting major revisions of how each force handles its figures.

“That review has played a key part in a 16% rise in recorded violence, a 10% rise in public order offences and a 22% rise in sexual offences.”

The higher increase in crime in the UK is “an increase in sexual material offences, linked to the online distribution of abuse images via computers or mobile technology” and in sexual offences including rapes. Although the latter was suggested more victims were coming forward and reporting it.

I am absolutely sure Cayman’s Commish will NOT agree that any of the above has any bearing on crime in the Cayman islands.

Maybe moving permanently to Atlantic Standard Time may make a difference to the stats? Which way is just another question.

But there is action in the TCI instead of just talk. There is action in the UK instead of just talk.

What we need is some more committees. Please don’t ask me to volunteer, though.