Cops qualify for community crime fight
At the UWI graduating ceremony (L-R standing): PC Odale Mulgrave, PC Lazarus Moraes, PC Tamara Jackson, PC Clifford Garcia APS Cornelius Pompey. (L-R sitting): Paulette Chotan (UWI), PS Roje Williams, DCP Anthony Ennis, Dr Francis Severin (UWI), Jody-Ann Moore Edris Ocho (UWI), PC Halston Farley
(CNS): Ten RCIPS officers have graduated from a course in community policing, which, it is hoped, will improve local policing on the ground. The call for officers who are permanently immersed in the community and visibly on the streets is one of the most common requests from members of the public when they meet with police. But over the years the commissioner has indicated that community policing resources are sacrificed when the service has to tackle increases in serious and violent crime.
The officers from the Neighborhood Policing Department graduated last week from the University of the West Indies with Certificates in Community Policing, having completed the first part of the intensive course offered through the local branch of the regional UWI. The officers immersed themselves in the fundamentals, techniques and principles of community policing for eleven weeks, while balancing their full-time policing duties and personal lives.
Acting Police Sergeant Cornelius Pompey addresses graduates during the UWI ceremony
Deputy Commissioner Anthony Ennis said he was delighted that the officers were able to participate. “We see from current affairs elsewhere that the law enforcement community and public officials are now revisiting this tested-and-tried policing philosophy to reduce tensions between community and police, while reducing crime through close collaboration with community partners and stakeholders. This creates safer neighbourhoods and builds trust and confidence,” he said.
Acting Police Sergeant Cornelius Pompey, one of the graduates, said that as individuals community police officers could make a difference but collectively they could make change. “The experience and knowledge we’ve gained will be immediately put to use as we go about our daily duties as RCIPS Neighborhood Police Officers,” he said.
Community policing was first introduced in the Cayman Islands in the 1990s but the RCIPS has been criticised for not sustaining the initiative and for moving officers almost as soon as they get accepted. Police officials said community policing augments the best of traditional policing with contemporary policing, with the objective of bridging the gaps and divisions in today’s diverse and society, and sowing trust between communities and law enforcement.
Category: Local News
More high fives. This department has been around for almost 20 years………the results are brought forth in a display of criminality. These Officers are brought to this task 18th good intentions but given the current crime rate the Salaries of about 300,000.00 per year plus expenses and benefits could be put to better use .
No Caymanians???
First requirement – get out of the cruisers and walk the beat. When we see that we’ll have community policing but I’m not holding my breath on it.
And now they want extra pay because the British cops were more qualified and hired to help them keep jobs for decades at our expense and our youth. That’s what we get for not ending contracts and bringing in the British to run their colony’s police service
The best idea is for there to be a concerted effort to recruit more top quality British coppers to protect the territory. If picking non-Brits is such a priority go independent. Moaners like this poster seem to like all the advantages of being in the privileged position of being a BOT but want to act like the territory is an independent country when it suits them.
So Jamaican cops are better? UK police are recognised at being amongst the best their is. You don’t want the best but just some quota fillers? Has it occurred to you that the British have a perfect right to police a British Overseas Territory? If you want to hoist your own flag, go ahead. You will be overrun by drug lords and money launderers the next day..,
I wrote post at 29/01/2016 6:49 and forgot important word “Not” so post at 9:07 agree with you. I have suggested repeatedly to our MLAs to recruit more CPA from UK especially with the great number of Jamaican nationals to locals and all other nationalities. Their dominance in our entire legal system and known culture of corruption, crime, it is difficult to obtain fair treatment and our people are suffering everyday because they look out for their own at our loss of jobs, fairness and control, in majority of situations
Oh wow, that should have been that’s what we get for NOT BRINGING IN THE BRITISH OFFICERS!
So before this none were qualified to deal with the community? That explains a lot…
Crime has increased two folds since the late 1990’s and its just now 2016 that we have people that can contain the crime and walk the beat???? What were the other 300 and some odd police doing? Remember when Baines asked for funds to hire more police to “fight crime” from the UK???? Our crime just grew and is still growing…they treat us like damn fools this government and keeps shovling s..t down our throats and we just keep on taking it