Police refute claims of poor conduct after diver’s death

Royal Cayman Islands Police Service

(CNS): The RCIPS has categorically denied that their officers abandoned the body of a 62-year-old diver from the US, who lost his life at sea earlier this week, and said that claims made by a commenter on the CNS report were inaccurate. The police have, however, said that there was some miscommunication as the diver was pronounced dead at a dock in East End and was never taken to hospital. In what appears to be a disputed chain of events, the police claim that comments were made based on secondhand accounts and that officers had behaved as they should.

In a statement released after Ocean Frontiers owner, Steve Broadbelt, commenting on a story posted by CNS, raised his concerns about what had happened following Victor Crawford’s death in East End Tuesday, an RCIPS spokesperson said that an ambulance was called at 12:00pm, responding from George Town, and it arrive at 12:42 pm. Crawford was examined by EMTs and found to be clinically dead. Verifying that there was no cardiac activity using an ECG monitor, they reported the death to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) physician at the George Town Hospital.

“The ambulance, as is normal policy, was released for continued emergency deployment. A funeral home was contacted and the body later transported to the George Town Hospital,” police said, noting that was a correction to the original police report, which stated that the body was transported by ambulance. “There a physician certified death.”

The spokesperson added, “Contrary to what was reported, uniform officers remained throughout, awaiting the arrival of the undertaker, when the body was handed over. The police were reported to have left the scene; this related to one officer taking two witnesses, including the captain of the dive boat, away in order to provide statements  for the investigation. I reiterate: two police officers remained with Mr Crawford thought-out the time until his body was handed over to the undertakers at the scene. Mr Crawford’s body remained on the boat and was covered out of respect.”

The RCIPS stated, “Blogger Stephen Broadbelt, following the news release, erroneously wrote certain information that caused great distress to the family of the deceased and due to the sensitivity of this incident, RCIPS will be following up on the erroneous reports. The RCIPS has assigned a family liaison officer to the family of Mr Crawford who will assist them on Island during these difficult times.

“Detectives from the Professional Standards Unit (PSU) interviewed Mr Broadbelt today and he admitted to officers that he was not present, nor did he personally witness what he reported on in his blog. He went on to say that he was stating what was told to him by others. That approach, I regret, has caused added distress to the family and damage to the Cayman Islands and its emergency services.”

The police said that Crawford, a resident of North Port, Alabama, USA, arrived on Grand Cayman on Saturday 28 March. He was aboard a local charter vessel Cayman Aggressor 4,  in a group of 18 divers  on a week-long dive trip.

In the dive area of ‘Tunnel of Love’, East End, Crawford entered the water around 10:45am but when the group surfaced he was not seen and a search commenced. A request for assistance was done via VHF marine radio and a dive boat operated by Ocean Frontiers, Nautical Cat, responded to the call for assistance.  Around 11:53am the deceased was located floating face down in the water and was pulled on board the Nautical Cat, which transported him to the dock of Ocean Frontier, East End, according to the RCIPS.

Further enquiries continue into the circumstances of Crawford’s death and a file is being prepared for a coroner’s enquiry, the RCIPS spokesperson said, as they added their condolences to the Crawford’s family.