Brac burglaries focus of RCIPS meeting
Cayman Brac RCIPS Community Meeting (L-R) Area Commander Wendy Parchment, Acting Commissioner Anthony Ennis and Chief Superintendent Kurt Walton
(CNS): There have been twelve burglaries on Cayman Brac since the beginning of the year, but at a well-attended community police meeting on the island last week Acting Police Commissioner Anthony Ennis pointed out two detectives who had come to the Brac specifically to work on those matters. “Crime is relative and numbers are relative, but on the Brac twelve burglaries is a lot,” he said, “We know this and we want you to know that cracking down on burglaries is a major priority.”
Echoing this concern, Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell, one of two MLAs for the Sister Islands, said the number of burglaries was unacceptable, but that “when the police need support, they need to get it”.
He added, “Reducing crime requires three elements: the government, the police and the community.”
Around 50 residents attended the nearly two-hour meeting on Thursday 21 July at the Seamen’s Centre, where they discussed crime and public safety with ACoP Ennis, Chief Superintendent Kurt Walton and Sister Islands Area Commander Wendy Parchment.
The need for closer partnership between the police and community was a major theme of the meeting, and Walton faced questions and some criticism from the audience about the visibility of police around the island and updates on their cases.
He explained that victim care, which he described as “courtesy, professionalism and respect”, as well as keeping victims updated on their cases, had been discussed at length during a staff meeting with Cayman Brac officers that day.
“I know that better victim care is critical to our community relationships and I want you to know I am autocratic on this point with officers,” Walton added.
Substance abuse among young people was also raised by community members active on the issue, with more police intervention requested to prevent underage drinking in particular.
“Youth substance abuse and crime prevention is an area where we want to partner more closely with parents, schools and the community and we will be looking for ways to do this,” Parchment told them.
About 50 residents attended the Cayman Brac RCIPS Community Meeting
Ennis added that efforts were underway to reinvigorate community policing across the service and to recruit more local officers during a drive set to begin 5 August.
“It is important to have a diverse police service that reflects the community it serves and equally important to have a proportionate number of Caymanians,” he said.
Ennis noted that two of the RCIPS’ recent recruits were from Cayman Brac, including one who is being “fast tracked” on the high potential development scheme to become an inspector. The audience applauded the achievements of these officers, as well as the promotion of Walton, also from Cayman Brac, who will take up the post of deputy commissioner in September.
The RCIPS intends to hold another community meeting on Cayman Brac before the end of the year.
You might wonder: if the last burglary had not been Kirk Freeport would all of this police activity have happened at all?
Maybe it was the final straw maybe it was because it was Kirk Freeport. Either way it was about time.
The problem in Cayman Brac according to many residents is the lack of job and business opportunities for adults and young adults alike. The population has remained almost untouched with the same numbers for over a decade making it impossible for growth.
As each class graduates the youth come out to an almost non-existent work environment where most people have been in the same posts for almost 20 years. Businesses rely on repeat customers and almost every is opening the same kind of business just because it worked for the other lady down the street. This process is making it very difficult for any one business owner to make enough to even cover expenses much less a minimum wage employee.
It is just too ironic that the Minister of Tourism for the entire Cayman Islands is the elected member for Cayman Brac but yet cannot find and initiate a sensible, strategic solution to CYB’s problems. Seems he has moved on to frying bigger fish.
That’s no excuse. I wonder how many people have ever been truly hungry. Not just ready to eat. Hungry. I’ve been hungry. I never once broke into any place or stole anything.
My sense of things is that these break-ins are not hungry people either, but common lazy criminals. Probably able-bodied people that could hold some sort of job if they cared to work, and had a care for the responsibility of their own welfare.
Yeah, right. This is the Deputy Premier’s fault. SMH.
Being able-bodied and capable of working is no use when there ARE NO JOBS.
In Grand Cayman I do not feel that anyone has an excuse to not have a job, however in Cayman Brac (where many small businesses that do hire are operating far outside the legal requirements).
Shopkeepers and bar owners are paying much less than minimum wage and have absolutely no health insurance or pensions for their staff.
There is absolutely no excuse for robbery or hurting another person, but Cayman Brac truly must have some form of growth soon or I fear this kind of thing will happen more often.
It costs $8.99 for the same gallon of milk we get in Grand Cayman for 4:99. We complain about grocery prices in Grand Cayman; believe me the prices are double in the Brac for some goods!
12 burglaries in 7 months on the Brac ?? I worked on the Brac as a cop for 4 years and I can only remember 1 burglary in all that time (suspect arrested the same day). Such a shame, the Brac was somewhere where even a police officer felt comfortable enough to not worry if they had left keys in the car or front door unlocked.
My only problem with thieves was because we had a fantastic time tree and mango bush in our yard……..
Why is it that Cayman Brac is seen as the hated step sister and every comment is negative towards my poor people! Grand cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman make up our islands! OUR PEOPLE! Most of what we have today is because of the great minds and ambitions of or great ‘Caymanian people’ Brac, Little, George Town, West bay, East End, Bodden town, Northside WHEREVER!
You negative persons that keep making these derogatory, senseless comments are the same people who’s attitude are the poison that will ruin our great ISLANDS!
Sorry for the Disney cartoon quote but “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all”.
Make constructive criticism and comments! We need help not more hate!
PS. God, please put it in the heart of the moderator to keeping senseless comments that don’t mean any good out of the eyes and ears of constructive readers.. Amen.
Agree with everything you said, except the last paragraph. I’m glad CNS prints these kinds of comments, as they reflect the mindset of at least some of the people. It’s a slippery slope to espouse censoring ideas we don’t agree with. It’s our privilege to be about to counter opinions with our own views.
Let’s stick to the situation at hand. The fact that we have had twelve burglaries (that we know of) in the Brac this year alone is twelve too many. And also what concerns me is the fact that one particular burglary has led to the apparent closure of an iconic long-standing business that has led to a number of people now jobless. At this point in time businesses cannot handle a loss of thousands of dollars worth of goods because simply they’ll take forever and a day to recover. If we don’t take care of this now we won’t have a single shop in business.
I never thought that this would happen on the Brac. But crime should easily be resolved in C Brac with such a small population. All we need is some good ole brains trying to put the pieces together. Mr Jakes Mr Gaston Watson Capt Harris Darrell and all those good ole folks would have had the thieves in long ago. Bring in experts and let them try to figure out who they are with what ever images that are available. EEveryone know who the bad eggs are in Cayman Brac so take them all in for questioning and see who matches the images the most.
We really DO know who the thieves are, don’t we? Just bust them already.
An increase in thefts might scare off future real estate investors – that’s the bottom line.
The burglaries were not top priority, seeing who could issue the most traffic tickets seemed to be the bigger deal. Winner got bragging rights at the local bar – disgraceful!
Nice meeting, now show us action on the burglaries and drugs
Pardon me COP Ennis who cares whether new recruits or promoted recruits are from the Brac of Grand. They are either good cops or bad cops. Stop using words to appease the Brackers with big egos as to how great they and their other Brackers are
Something is seriously wrong with you.
So what action was actually agreed or was this just a window dressing patting the backs of locals being promoted…..
What’s more important is like here on GCM, the thieves are ‘relative’. Need a larger gene pool people.