Baines to quit one year early

| 29/03/2016 | 149 Comments
Cayman News Service

Cayman Islands Police Commissioner David Baines

(CNS): Police Commissioner David Baines is to quit his post one year before his contract expires but the governor’s office has confirmed that the beleaguered RCIPS boss will still be paid until the end of his contract next June.  In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the governor offered her continued support to Baines as she announced that he will step down at the end of May and Deputy Commissioner Anthony Ennis will take the helm until a new commissioner is recruited.

“The recent barrage of unfair criticism and defamatory comments has undermined the commissioner’s authority to the extent that his leadership of the RCIPS is no longer tenable,” Governor Helen Kilpatrick said in the short statement. “The commissioner continues to have my support and will do so until he leaves his post.”

Despite the increasing public criticisms and the catalogue of well-documented concerns surrounding his leadership of the police, the governor praised Baines for his “dedicated service” over the last seven years.

“Crime statistics show that over this period the Cayman Islands have remained amongst the safest communities in the Caribbean. In addition to leading the RCIPS with professionalism, Commissioner Baines has made a significant contribution to policing in the wider Caribbean through his chairmanship of the Caribbean Chiefs of Police group and his leadership of work on firearms and gun crime for all of the Caribbean Overseas Territories,” the governor said, adding that police need and deserve community support to do their work and the security of Cayman I was a responsibility “we all share”.

The recruitment process is expected to begin shortly and the appointment of a police commissioner remains the responsibility of the governor’s office, even though the police budget is voted on by the Legislative Assembly.

There was no mention of mounting speculation that Baines had been earmarked to take up, at the end of his RCIPS contract, the office of a new super-ombudsman that the government has talked of creating that would merge the Office of the Complaints Commissioner with the Information Commissioner’s Office, data protection and a new independent police complaints commission.

The CoP has been under pressure since taking up the post in June 2009 and while there have been significant criticisms in the past by politicians and the broader community, the recent calls for his head have been unrelenting.

The fall in crime statistics has doing nothing to quash concerns that the police are not doing a good job responding to the perceived policing needs of the community or in the prosecution of cases, even though HMP Northward is currently desperately overcrowded.

The governor’s office has made no comment regarding the enquiry her office is said to be undertaking into the handling of the recent search and rescue operation, in which three men and two boys were lost at sea. No details have been revealed about who will conduct that probe.

It is understood that the eight opposition members are standing by their call to debate the need for a public independent enquiry into that case as well as a review of the entire management structure of the RCIPS and to place a Caymanian in the top job. A special meeting has been set for 13 April by the speaker of the House but so far the premier has made no comment on whether his government will support the motions or if not.

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Category: Crime, Police

Comments (149)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Can anyone recall the Premier ever coming out to tell us that he and the Governor were having any debate over the management of the RCIP ? What I recall is every time anyone dared to question the COP action or lack thereof the Premier appeared on TV and radio talking down to us and supporting the COP even when it was blatantly obvious that he was failing us. Now all of a sudden he is spouting off about having discussions. He had no discussions, he is lying and now trying to blame the independents and opposition for, according to him, having to pay the COP for him resigning early. When someone resigns they forfeit any redundancy or bonus pay. The COP resigned because he probably already has a job secured and now wants to milk a fat cheque from our treasury. He will probably say that he couldn’t carry out his duties so he had no option but to resign. What happen, no one is allowed to ask questions and debate the failures of the COP? Mr. Premier did you cook this up to try to make us the public angry with the opposition and the independents.. Some of us supported you even though you wasted millions of our money on the abominable Clifton Hunter that can hardly function as a school so we will have no problem supporting the independents and opposition in 2017 so go ahead and blame them. All you are doing is ” heaping coals of fire” on your own head. You have wasted too much time trying to get even instead of really working for us the people of these beloved Cayman Islands. Finally We have some politicians who are intelligent and have the cojones to stand up and speak up. The winds of change are beginning to blow and it feels great.

  2. frangipani says:

    Can we bring in a few Gurkha’s with the new ‘commish’ to get this crime cleaned up once and for all?!
    that’ll hold um for a while!!

  3. Anonymous says:

    The irrational demand for a “Caymanian” CoP is predictable and equally absurd. We need someone to shake up the internal structure from the top down, that has experience in everything from corruption, to marine counter-narcotics, to domestic abuse, and fraud. We need to look further afield to the IACP to find someone that can lead – and those in charge of the hire should stop using the “Caribbean Region Homicide Statistics” as the performance yardstick for acceptable crime levels in the Cayman Islands. Headcount should be cut, and better hires made for our $35mln/year (and some transparency on how its spent).

  4. Anonymous says:

    Haines for Commish ( you only have to change one letter on the letterhead too)

  5. Anonymous says:

    I do not blame him one bit for leaving. There will be more follow if they have any sense.
    This place has descended into political and social chaos and the future does not look good.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Did I read this right? Unfair criticism??? Really?

    1. Traffic laws not enforced due to dismantling of traffic unit
    2. Confiscated drugs gone missing (and not just a pound or so)
    3. Confiscated dirt bikes gone missing
    4. 800 plus traffic tickets outstanding/not collected for
    5. Unreasonable high percentage of court cases being dismissed due to mishandling of evidence by police
    6. Increasing complaints by crime victims for unprofessional or extremely relaxed attitude by officers towards crime/victims.

    Sorry, where I work, people get fired for much less. God forbid that a pencil goes missing, never mind a whole boatload of drugs.

    Perhaps his hands are tied and he has little wiggle room as some commenters are stating, but that comes with the territory of wanting to be the big wig!

    By the way – petty crime tends to increase towards more serious crime. Food for thought?

    • Anonymous says:

      Fair criticism, now are you prepared for the next boss possibly having to fire a bunch of Caymanians to fix the issues?

      • Anonymous says:

        Are they any Caymanians left in the RCIPS?

      • Anonymous says:

        Yep – anyone who underperforms should be let go. That’s a general concept that should apply equally to the RCIP, Government or Private Business!

        In fact, in private business if your number is up, it’s up, no matter how dedicated or loyal of an employee one has been.

  7. Anonymous says:

    The only real surprise here is that this took so long to happen. However good Baines may have been in the UK it was quite apparent he didn’t have the necessary skills to hold down the CoP job here. His ill-tempered attacks on the media in 2012 should have served as an early warning that he was struggling but it seems the Governor and the FCO decided to ignore that.

    What is curious about this decision is that it comes just weeks after the revelation that Commissioner Baines has finally commenced an investigation into the conduct of Operation Tempura and specifically into the conduct of the former SIO, Martin Bridger. The initial concerns about Tempura were aired on CNS in October 2009, since then numerous well-documents complaints have been filed but every single one of them has been rejected. Now, when it apparently suits the Governor, there is not only an investigation but next month RCIPS officers are being sent to the UK to interview witnesses. If that doesn’t stink of abuse of police powers (or waste of police resources if you prefer) I don’t know what does.

    Senior UK police officers have a long track record of getting out just before things get really sticky for them and I suspect that’s what happened here. Quite why he’s been paid off is another matter.

  8. Joe B says:

    Baines only mistake was taking on the job of being in charge of an incompetent ,lazy, and sometimes immoral workforce that had to pander to a bunch of incompetent, lazy, and mostly immoral Government while not stepping on a bunch of very sensitive toes. He should get credit for lasting as long as he did. Now the criminals (elected and electors) will celebrate their victory until the Governor can find some one who will take on the job of being responsible for the Caymanian police force and their Caymankind skillsets. Caymanians have yet to comprehend the advantages of learning from the past to better their futures.

  9. Anonymous says:

    So those that are implicated in various corruption scandals have hounded out the Chief of Police who was at the top of those investigations. Mmmm.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Please find another to LEAD after May, seat wormer.

  11. boo says:

    Ok. Baines’y vaca is over. But he was only the poster boy. Now ya gotta get rid of the other one that is the real shot caller.

    Brougham is the one who made most of the decisions and was in charge. Baines was the poster boy. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you.

    You get him out then put someone who actually knows his job and you will see an efficient and effective service. This boy is XXXXXXXX.

    If Baines had gotten rid of this XXXX then he wouldnt be going through this now.

  12. Anonymous says:

    anyway i am going to quit my job too and they better pay me a year ahead like baines got..as i see it he will be back likely as the new complaints commissh, FOI head or new Auditor gen any why you put it he wins.

  13. Anonymous says:

    It is highly unlikely that Baines “resigned.” Likely that the Governor forced him to leave and had to pay him. Now we get to avoid an embarrassing investigation. And likely a delicious carrot was dangled in front of his nose for his next assignment.

  14. Anonymous says:

    This sounds more like getting fired to me.

  15. Rebecca says:

    5.05 lest we not forget that a total of nine people went missing never to be found or their disappearance solved. How can you say that the north side issue was his only down fall? What about the missing drugs at the station or the molestation of children and the alleged pedifilist catches a flight to the states or the missing police van or the stolen dirt bikes from the police station or the employees discrimination suit.

    • Anonymous says:

      Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.

    • Anonymous says:

      Baines is, as they say, laughing all the way to the bank — now has a paid year long sabbatical.

      What people sense in Baines is a disaffection with the people of Cayman — a complete lack of identity with and commitment to the people… A sort of “Let them eat cake” demeanor.

      Unfortunately, he gets exactly what he wants in the end and the people get even more of the same — paying out money for nothing.

      Perhaps a little harsh — but Baines has consistently communicated a disdain for public opinion rather that try to build bridges and strengthen bonds.

    • Anonymous says:

      Soon enough Cayman will finally learn to use the tens of tens of millions per year of government funds that get wasted, pilfered, or otherwise misused, to educate and support our own people in running our own country over worshipping the unquestionable intelligence, integrity, supposed professionalism, and sincerity of everyone on earth who can come here and qualify for these positions apparently very simply by not owing a Caymanian passport. And those whose main intent will forever be to disgrace, discourage, dishearten, spurn, trample, and do whatever else is required keep Caymanians below them. We will get there folks, unbelieveable but we simply haven’t felt enough pain for that to happen yet. We will. Hopefully before we completely obliterate ourselves from the face of this earth. It is very likely the very same ‘government’ that brought this man here to fill this position over ENSURING that it got filled by a trained Caymanian that is now intent on getting rid of him, not only because of his very obvious shortcomings, but indeed because he is brash enough to expose them, and to spit in their very own faces, in their very own country, while on their very own payroll. Can we really blame the expats folks? I very seriously don’t think so.

    • Anonymous says:

      Once again, when witnesses do not come forward to help solve crime- what are the RCIP supposed to do? Make evidence up to solve the case?

  16. Anonymous says:

    where is Franz in all of this? isn’t he head of the Civil Service?

  17. Anonymous says:

    I believe he is not the only Brit to jump ship before it is too late. I am sure he won’t be the last.
    I don’t blame him to be honest.

    • Anonymous says:

      This country was first settled by Brits jumping ship. Fact.

      • Anonymous says:

        Agreed but after a while the foolishness, the constant, anti expat drivel and the ignorance makes jumping back on board a lot more appealing.

    • Anonymous says:

      This is an all too common phenomenon in the Civil Service, say what you will about Helen, but at least she had his back, that is a lot more than what can be said about her deputy when other senior officers come under attack by their own staff for trying to uphold policies and for demanding.

      what this says, is if I don’t like my boss, all I have to do is keep dropping the ball until they force him out for my incompetence, the Civil Service is going to hell in a hand basket and God have mercy on us if XXXXXX like Kent McTaggart ever gets elected to office.

  18. Anonymous says:

    This man’s beatings come from a system that’s broken, and his hands are tied behind his back.

    The beatings will continue for the next incumbent, until the system is fixed and the culture of witch hunts comes to an end.

    Fire, aim, ready.

    • Anonymous says:

      I totally agree with you. It’s all politics. People need to understand that the rcips in general hands are tied when it comes to a lot of decision making. Also the mention of convictions comes straight from the legal system itself, too many known criminals are getting a slap on the wrist for a lot of serious crimes. It’s sad and disheartening that Mr. Baines have taken so much heat over the years because of a broken Government. He’s only human and not perfect. My question is to these backward greedy, boneless politicians who loves to play the blame game, what are their plans to improve policing in a whole? I often believe that they tend amend laws laws to fit their criteria. May God have mercy on them for the defamatory they have subjected this man to. A lot of these people who wants this man gone due to the results from the survey, are some of the same people who turn their backs and say f#*@ the police when they need to solve crimes such as murders of these little gangbangers who have put other families through pain and turmoil. People of Cayman, you all need to take a real good look at your own characters as well as that of your so called leaders. Btw, I’m caymanian and I am appalled by all of this. God bless you all!!!

  19. True Tings says:

    We need his number 2 to leave. Not baines.
    Now we are going to get Walton, what a joke. He’s not qualified and to nice a guy not being able to make the hard discussion.
    I am not a fan of Baines but here is the truth.
    We have allowed the Jamaican Police officers who have been I the force for years control the association, as far as I am aware there is not one white officer in this association, now this is discrimination. In fact in my time in the force (90’s) we ( I’m a white caymanian) were not really welcome.
    What I am about to say is a very discriminating think, a majority of the Caribbean officers (black) are lazy, in educated and only want the pay cheques, oh they love the power, they love to take bribes and beat people, the have no manners when speaking to the general public, they forget they are guest in our country and work for us.
    I will not use the term us Bracer’s use for them but, They are real…….s
    I understand sht rolls up hill and yes Baines is in charge but if you have a bunch of XXXXX work for you what else do you expect!!!!!

  20. Anonymous says:

    CNS – why are comments closed on the cat boat story? Can’t we respond to congratulate those involved and wish them success in reviving this part of our culture? Or does CNS promote/support only negativity towards things Caymanian?

    Bet you won’t print this!!?? That’s cool as long as you read it!!

    CNS: The instructions “Read the full story and comment on CNS Local Life” (with the link) are too complicated for you? By the way, if you do manage to click on the link – it’s hard, I know – you will come to a whole website full of very positive things about Cayman and Caymanians, where you can comment to your heart’s delight. Or you could just spew nonsense and whine.

    • Anonymous says:

      CNS, to be fair, under articles which are posted in another section but feature in the Headline list, it will say ‘comments are closed’ and I have also wondered in relation to a previous article what the possible rationale there could have been for closing comments on that particular article. I did find the link to the full story and left my comment, but I didn’t know I needed to be looking for a link to another instance of the article, as there was no indication the article was not a Headline article. You used to have a message, if I recall, that said ‘for more and to comment, click here’ or something to that effect. Perhaps that is a better way of doing things than being abrasive with your readers.

  21. Anonymous says:

    He should get his full contract pay if not more. People expected him to know when the next crime was to occur and when he was not a mindreader he wasn’t doing his job. How much &^%$ was this man supposed to put up with. Good luck Mr. Baines. 4:48 says it well.

    • Anonymous says:

      No, this is not what people expect from him. When members of RCIPS won’t perform their basic job duties or criminal evidence stored at Police is being stolen from under their noses, that makes the RCIPS a joke.

      • Anonymous says:

        OK now that the Brit CoP is gone and a local officer is in charge, there will be a massive drop in crime …right…?

    • Conscience says:

      It is sad indeed when we the people don’t pay attention to the subterfuge and the subtleties of British domain. Do you all for one moment think that The FCO would allow one of its own to be censored again in our Legislative Assembly, absolutely not. The situation went to a point of no return where even Her Excellemcy had started to lose her credibility, therefore , what is the bet thing to save British face ; let the Commish go, HE keeps on showing her undivided support and the Commish who really could have been dismissed constructively because of incompetence, mal administration etc. rides off into the sunset with one year plus of our money ??☹️sad indeed.

      The net effect of this latest British strategic move is to bolster their puppet Premiere who feared a vote of no confidence could ensue, slapped the opposition in the face for their cry for independent investigation which n general terms was on policing, however the chief architect of the misdeeds is now only subject to vitriolic abuse and who pays, for the ineffectiveness , we the people. Until we recognize that our Constitution needs to evolve, we will be subject to these maneovers which realistically speaking we can’t change unless we have men and women of substance to step/ rise up to the plate to effect the change. Brittania cannot rule us forever.

      • Anonymous says:

        Maybe Brittania cannot rule for ever. I have a distinct feeling it does not want to rule Cayman at all. Trouble is that it’s been shown time and time again, you cannot rule yourselves either! Those with brains get that and that’s why you stay in. Even under UK rule the megalomaniacs get away with murder. Imagine how it would be without that brake?

  22. Anonymous says:

    This news is rather bittersweet in my view. Sweet to hear that Baines will soon be departing, bitter to note that Her Excellency remains steadfast in her support of him, despite the clear evidence why the majority of residents feel that he must go. That is, his and RCIPS’ failures, nothing more and nothing less!!! NOT his “Britishness” as a print media house has suggested, not his “foreign-ness” as other supporters may interpret or suggest.

    I, for one, would not wish to see a Caymanian CoP anytime soon, as the last one appointed was inept and unfit for the job of law enforcement not even to mention CoP and another who acted prior was of dubious personal and professional character. There are other reasons why I hope there is not a Caymanian CoP in the near future.

    All we need is for the Governor to respect us as a people, respect our public safety and advise her UK bosses to appoint a capable, strong and respectful person to fill the post. We deserve and expect no less. Perhaps they could send Commissioner Gray who they refused to let complete his first contract – likely because he was exactly what Cayman needed!!!

  23. Anonymous says:

    This is the man that helped get rid of McKeeva and single handedly foiled an armed robbery and all we can do is give him a kick in the arse.
    We may well live to regret this.
    Good luck haters.

    • Anonymous says:

      *Single handedly happened to be in the right place at the right time, saw an opportunity for positive press and ran someone over.

    • Forelock says:

      And therein lies the truth of the matter.

      McKeeva put up his puppet Bernie to speak his lies for him and the stupid but vocal follow to help him get rid of a man who did the right thing.

      This not a conspiracy by the British FCO, it’s our own cynical sefl serving politicians that are manipulating the stupid amongst us to get rid of an existential threat to themselves. They also created the stupid, by failing to educate a lot of us enough to see through them.

      And they appear to be succeeding.

      This why Zimbabwe has Mugabe. Our own despot is standing in the wings laughing at us all for following him like rats after the Pied Piper.

    • Anonymous says:

      And look at the heat he took for foiling and armed robbery. He was in a no win situation. He was too abrupt with the armed robber.

    • Anonymous says:

      Sad but true. But you know mckeewa will not rest until he gets rid of him back. Just like he got rid of two auditor generals who couldn’t wuk wit him and his wutlessness.

    • Ironside says:

      “…all we can do” – Really? You must have missed the part about him getting 1 year full salary for doing nothing but leaving 1 year early. That’s 12 months free cash right there, my friend.

      • Anonymous says:

        You have given mla’s and plenty of others free cash for life? Did you bitch about that?

        • Ironside says:

          You bet I did bitch about our MLA’s getting free monies, etc way after and during their time “serving the people”.

          Just so you know, I’m not ‘bitching’ about Baines getting paid 1 year salary for ‘quiting’ – I’m saying that he got that as well as a “kick in the arse.”

          I’d be so happy to receive both. ?

          That’s all.

  24. Anonymous says:

    Lets hope he takes the Gov’na with him!

  25. Anonymous says:

    When a member of the Police arbitrarily won’t accomplish a simple task of taking and recording (and properly responding to) a call, it is clearly a sign of a dysfunction on a deeper level. It is a myth that this country is the safest in the Caribbean taking into account its size sqf wise and population.

  26. Shhhhhhhhhh. says:

    To sum it all up, this is an opportunity for Her Excellency to hire a CoP who can get the force really working, with motivation, interest, and job satisfaction, NOT big stick tactics, persecution of officers to produce a “Scalp score”, manipulation of statistics and the media, and resume building. Far too many police man hours are wasted doing tedious data input and processing so that top brass can micro-manage, castrating middle management in the process, and reducing much needed operations work time. The morale in the RCIP has never been lower. Can that be good? NO WAY. It is symptomatic of a very poor management style at the very top. Here we have a chance to correct these issues. HIP, HIP, HURRAH.

  27. MI6 in 345 says:

    Wow what a sweet deal if you can get it. More evidence of the British looking out for their own again with our public monies. Madam Governor Helen Kilpatrick is an utter disgrace and needs to pack her stuff up and leave with Baines.

    She is here for tea parties and to wear sun dresses as she mingles with the glitterati. Kilpatrick has proven herself to be the most incompetent and useless governor in the history of the Cayman Islands who has had its fair share of poor FCO representation.

  28. Anonymous says:

    Good lord, please let his replacement NOT be from the Caribbean. That’s the last thing we need. I’m sorry, but if a Caymanian can’t be found then we should be getting someone from the UK. Not from some other Caribbean Island where crime is rampant and salary is low! Got enough of that already.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree with this comment. As a Caymanian I feel sorry for Mr Baines who I think tried his very best. But he needed to have good cops under him. I cant understand why we have so many from one specific place. If Mr Baines made any mistake this is one. There are many of us Caymanians who feel so sad and embarrassed about this. What we need is Police to stop taking sides for their own people. This certainly happens just have a road accident or a rental problem and call them when its their own and you will see. I say we need to get rid of at least half of the force and get qualified Police not ones that need a job and has to be trained in Cayman. Years ago our Force was comprised of Bajans Caymanians and Belizeans. If My spelling is wrong you all know who I mean.

    • Anonymous says:

      Why in the hell does the person have to come from the UK? We have much better police officers in the USA.

  29. Anonymous says:

    Why is he still being paid if he resigned. A total waste of money.

  30. Anonymous says:

    I am so fed up with this Governor. It is like she is living in Neverland with Twinkle Bellt having tea and cocktail parties all the time..Why is that only she and Alden can find no fault in Baines? Maybe both of them should quit now too..I’m sure we would be happy to pay them a years severance.

    By the way Helen, your words to us the people of this country with regards to Baines are insulting and to use your power to reward him our money with a years pay for incompetence make me really wonder about your judgement and competence as well.

  31. Anonymous says:

    An abject failure yet still pulling a salary.

    As if the planted individuals via a particular entity needed another reason to further diminish any possible credibility.

    Move along folks – nothing to see here but the same old, same old.

    Send in the next one …

    – Whodatis

    • Anonymous says:

      Send in the next one? Time for Cayman to step up to the plate and deal with their own problems.

      • Anonymous says:

        Certainly you must be driftwood, the way problems are dealt with in Cayman is to blame the British, Dart, and Expats.
        And the land fill keeps growing with little or no recycling in sight.

      • Anonymous says:

        Fact: The lower the percentage of Caymanians in the overall residency the higher the rate of crime.

        So…yeah. Try again, bub.

        – Whodatis

        P.S. I’m all for Cayman dealing with our own problems. However, on every utterance I am lambasted as “racist” or “xenophobic” by you and your CNS colleagues. Furthermore, the last thing the UK wishes, and has historically safeguarded against, is a thriving, stable, non-White, former colony.

        Truth is truth. Eff ya feelings buddy.

        • Anonymous says:

          Lets give it a go anyway. If you are right i will be the first to admit it – from another jurasdiction of course.

    • The watcher says:

      Try finding one? The word is out there and has been for some time and it is not good. Remember this the sixth commissioner since Ivan, one of those only lasted 24 hours.
      Anyone worth their salt will do the research and it will not look good.
      Come September there will be another senior position to fill with equal difficulty.
      Couple this with other senior posts in other fields that have not been filled or replaced, it looks to me like people just don’t see Cayman as an attractive proposition anymore.
      Rolling stone people.

  32. Anonymous says:

    Paid off because he was becoming an embarrassment to the FCO?

  33. Anonymous says:

    People are complaining about crime increasing, yet I can bet you if a tough CoP came her to crack some skulls of these criminal thugs and punks, you would hear nothing but crying about police abuse.

  34. Anonymous says:

    just another day in wonderland…..
    baines joins the list of people like swarbrick, dugay who tried the best to their jobs only to run up against local incompetence…..
    and to think he is actually run out of here by people like mckeeva is a total joke…
    cayman deserves everything it gets…..

  35. Anonymous says:

    problem solved…caymanstyle!
    this place is a joke. end of story

  36. Anonymous says:

    Interesting that his departure will come at roughly the same time as the ICO is going to be able to haul him before the Grand Court for contempt over his interference in the Aina report FOI investigation.

    As for him staying here? There’s no chance of that. He’s been looking for a way out for at least the past year and probably has a cushy job lined up somewhere where his abilities won’t be questioned.

  37. Anonymous says:

    Great move by our mla’s now we have to pay him to go. Stop interfering in matters that you know nothing about.

    By all means hold him accoutablity but that motion and the attacks on the radio was a get out card.

    What you have to understand is that while we may think he is not doing his job the crime stats show otherwise.

    Where is the evidence that he is not doing his job. Please don’t say the robbery in northside or the missing persons at sea.

    Politricks just doesn’t work.

  38. Anonymous says:

    Mr Baines is a victim of the ever increasing bitterness towards expats in government jobs. What amazes me is that corruption by Caymanians in the MLA is accepted by Caymanians as ‘that’s how it is’. Offenders are treated with a soft hand and there is lack of cohesion within RCIPS because Caymanians tend to have (not all) a misguided sense of entitlement. Give the man the power and support he needs; he hasn’t let Cayman down, Cayman has let him down.

    • Anonymous says:

      Does he need any help to pack and get his butt off. When is Helen Kilpatrick packing her bags? Birds of a feather flock together. None of them are doing their jobs, only collecting taxpayers money. When is the petition being circulated? We are ready to sign it.

    • Anonymous says:

      “Caymanians tend to have (not all) a misguided sense of entitlement !” Really ! Can you please tell me the name of the Country you came from ? I need to take a visit so I may tell the locals there “You people tend to have (not all) a misguided sense of entitlement ” How do you think that will turn out ? And if your Local ? Sad !

  39. Anonymous says:

    What. A. Mess.

  40. Anonymous says:

    How many Caymanians are in the same position where they have been relieved of their position and are still receiving their salary?

    The CoP position is a no win situation no matter who takes the job. The force clearly has some bad apples which account for the on premises thefts. The RCIP either do not know who they are or cannot develop sufficient proof to charge them.

    The pressure on the RCIP to protect certain friends and family of big shots in the country creates big problems and low morale.
    Equal rule of law does not exist in the Cayman Islands.
    If laws were actually enforced and prosecuted Northward would need to be tripled in size.

  41. Anonymous says:

    His contract should never have been renewed by Duncan Taylor.

  42. Uncle John says:

    Only Cayman you hear that shit happen, we must pay this man for doing a bad job,what a mess we are all in and this government that we put in power is useless,why not just send them on leave with pay for the next year too.

  43. Bigger Whopper says:

    Party at GT central police station.
    When: April 1st @ 8:00pm
    Where: Evidence lockup area “round the back”
    BYOB
    Will have Jerk Chicken
    R.S.V.P – email dbanes

    Not invited:
    The Bushes
    The Mctaggerts
    All talk show hosts

    • Bigger Whopper says:

      Oh..and Denny W if you show up you will be tazzered and arrested.

    • Anonymous says:

      4:44 pm They will be waiting for return of all the stolen goods, and the cameras will be working. Will need some Mr. Hurry.

  44. Anonymous says:

    We need to march on the Governor’s to protest paying him for another year. Why? He can’t take the heat so we must pay?

  45. Tellme says:

    No way in HELL should Baines BE PAID another dime!!!!!!!!

    • Anonymous says:

      Why is he being paid a year salary when he quit???? He broke his contract

      • Anonymous says:

        Because the Governor sees this as all very unfair on Baines and wants to preserve his employability by allowing him to say that he was paid off. I’m not sure that any of us can really question her judgement on this one because only she knows all of the challenges of the post during Baines’ time in it and, as seems to have been overlooked on this story, she previously ran the Home Office in the UK which is, of course, responsible for all policing in that country.

  46. Anonymous says:

    WTF? Why the hell are we paying him for doing nothing for a year?

    • Anonymous says:

      Caymanian hospitality??

    • Anonymous says:

      It is called constructive unfair dismissal. He deserves to be paid. He has not breached his contract. We did – by blaming him incessantly for things we do. I wish him well.

      • Anonymous says:

        Where to start with this. If you’re unfairly dismissed, you get a week’s wage for every year of employment – so Baines would get 6 weeks’ salary, not 52. And I can guarantee that I didn’t breach his contract either

        • Anonymous says:

          My God, please tell me you are not a lawyer, an HR professional or an employer. That is some seriously ignorant stuff you are spouting, which for a start totally ignores the law of contract.

    • Anonymous says:

      That, my dear chap, is standard practice in the Civil Service where it often involves a lot longer than I year.

    • Anonymous says:

      We paid Braggs for two years doing nothing when he was retired for incompetence before his official retirement date, 4:34. This is Cayman.

    • Shhhhhhhhhh. says:

      Simply because that was in the contract given to him by Duncan Taylor. Perfectly normal business.

    • Anonymous says:

      We paid him for 7 years of nothing so what is 1 more?

    • Anonymous says:

      What has he done in 7 years? Hired murderer/criminals in the RCIPS. One thing that he did and should be complimented for, was the NewYears day runover.

    • Anonymous says:

      You have paid the mla’s for life! What are you doing about that?

  47. Anonymous says:

    Hopefully, the Governor will resign now too. #fingerscrossed

    • Anonymous says:

      4:31pm I am praying that she high tails it too. Too much incompetence, vacationing and partying.

  48. Anonymous says:

    “David Baines is to quit his post one year before his contract expires but the governor’s office has confirmed that the beleaguered RCIPS boss will still be paid until the end of his contract next June”

    Sweet deal!

  49. Anonymous says:

    The commissioner is only as good as the senior management team around him and the leadership and supervision by junior managers. His successor needs to get rid of the senior managers pushing paperclips get rid of the inefficient ones and likewise with junior managers if they don’t have the balls to supervise dispense of them.
    Get your constables out on the streets briefed tasked and with a zero tolerance to all crimes.

    • Anonymous says:

      Baines had 7 years to sort out his senior management team so if they are the problem its still his fault!

      • Allar says:

        Bloggers please wait one minute. Baines resign and we got to pay for one year? What a joke. The reason he resigned was that he was afraid of that no confidence vote. Well done opposition.

  50. Anonymous says:

    Okay, let me make sure that I’ve gotten this straight – as a civil servant, if I fail to perform my job to the point that the general public and Members of the Legislative Assembly are calling for me to be removed from my post, I can resign and still receive one more year of full salary?

    Who do I need to speak with to get in on this deal?

    • Anonymous says:

      Start with the Chief Justice, 4:17, who might remind you what happened when efforts were made to get rid of the late Dr Astley McLaughlin from his employment and it went all the way to the Privy Council who ruled in favour of Astley and Government had to pay out HUGE sums over the matter.

      • Anonymous says:

        The difference is Astley was terminated from his position, Baines resigned.

      • Anonymous says:

        5:06. Don’t confuse incidents that are completely different.
        Under Baines watch every imaginable thing has gone wrong. The evidence container ransacked and pertinent evidence stolen, criminals hired who he said were vetted and passed THE test, dirt bikes taken from the secured area on the Police compound, where cameras are conveniently not working. What else has to happen to prove him incompetent to MANAGE?
        Kernohan went to visit his father and never returned. Didn’t he receive his salary? So, isn’t this a way to fleece the country?

      • Anonymous says:

        That’s an interesting one. The late Dr. Astley didn’t receive justice at any level of our judiciary system which included the Chief Justice. Just look at the ruling of Williams on the Doctors at the HSA which he says cannot be sued. Where does human rights fit in to this. I thought that the human rights law would supersede the HSA law. If I am right that is another wrong ruling that needs to be overturn.

      • Anonymous says:

        5:06 pm : well, the Privy Council agreed with the Chief Justice — unfair dismissal! One of the reasons we are now supping this bitter cup from Baines.

    • Anonymous says:

      4:17. You are missing the point. None of what you said gives reason to fire someone. You actually have to have some evidence of misconduct. And clearly achieving a drop in crime is not misconduct.

      • Anonymous says:

        5:07 pm, unfortunately, you are right, at least partially — it is always difficult to prove and get rid of incompetence.

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