Local cops head to TCI for police shooting probe
Armed RCIPS officers (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
(CNS): Four officers from the RCIPS will head to the Turks and Caicos Islands tomorrow in order to investigate the fatal shooting of a suspect there by the local police service at the weekend. An RCIPS spokesperson said the Cayman police are sending two sergeants and two constables at the request of James Smith, the commissioner of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF). The fatal shooting took place on the island in the early hours of Saturday morning 6 June, when an armed cop shot at a robbery suspect.
The RCIPS officers will conduct an independent investigation into the fatal shooting of the suspected armed robber, which happened as the TCI’s armed police officers responded to what appears to have been a street mugging. According to an RCIPS release, the TCI officers were allegedly confronted by the armed men who pointed their guns at the police. One suspect was shot and later pronounced dead at a local medical centre, while the second robbery suspect was said to have escaped.
“Due to the seriousness of this incident, a request for an independent investigation was made by RTCIPF Commissioner, Mr James Smith, to RCIPS Commissioner Mr David Baines over the weekend,” an RCIPS spokesperson stated, adding that the local officers were expected to be travelling early Tuesday.
So far there have been no local reports in the TCI online press or regional media about the incident and the death of the robbery suspect.
This is not the first time the RCIPS has been involved in offering regional assistance to police probes. In February this year Baines was appointed Gold Command leader on Operation Lucan in the British Virgin Islands. The internal police probe is reportedly examining allegations of corruption among police and local drug dealers
The current TCI commissioner is no stranger to Cayman as he was Baines’ predecessor and one of a long line of acting commissioners at the helm of the RCIPS during the infamous Operation Tempura internal probe.
Category: Caribbean, Crime, Police, World News
The police commish is crying about lack of people on the force and now sends 4 people off island — put the 4 on patrol — enough crime is going on here
Cayman is lucky to have such a fine core of UK trained police.
This is sarcasm…I hope.
as the young people say……….jks (jokes!)
Maybe the officers being sent are really on a training mission, being trained that is on how to shoot robbers and avoid an acquittal. But maybe methinks our cops can shoot straight, ergo the off island training.
Send the Bridger Beach Cam!
Order of action:
(1) Call on the public for witnesses/assistance.
(2) Return to Cayman.
Yet we’re short on officers supposedly.
Sweet Jesus – they do know how incompetent our officers are don’t they?
It’s probably just a token gesture arranged by the FCO.
‘Independent investigation’, cops cleared, end of story.
Doesn’t make any difference if the cops sent over know what they’re doing. In fact the dumber they are the better.
To Anon 2:36
Your comment had me LMHO ROTF as it is funny…….then reality set in and I wanted to cry.
This is the same COP, wasting his “scarce” resources and money by sending the same number of police officers (4) off to TCI that it would take to give North Side and East End 24 hour coverage of their police stations.
Come on Baines….I was born at night, but not last night.
Perhaps the job they do will be better than Tempura, my Turks Islander friends, otherwise try to use the cheapest lawyers and judges so that you don’t get stuck with the bill we Caymanians got stuck with for NO convictions.