Cops net 22 suspects in crime loaded weekend

| 03/10/2016 | 20 Comments

(CNS): The RCIPS made 22 arrests during a weekend of serious incidents, which included the first murder of the year and another road death. Arrests were made for firearms, drugs, dangerous traffic violations and violent offences. However, Acting Police Commissioner Anthony Ennis has raised his concerns that not all licensed premises are doing everything they can to maintain the peace in and around their bars and clubs and criticised the standard of some security personnel. He warned that the RCIPS cannot use resources needed for the wider community to deal with problems in bars.

Police began rounding up suspects on Friday afternoon with a drug raid in Birch Tree Hill, West Bay, when two men aged 30 and 35 were arrested on suspicion of possession and consumption of ganja.

During the course of the weekend the police arrested a number of people for assault, included four domestic assaults. Officers also arrested two men for assaulting and obstructing police as they tried to mediate a domestic disturbance in George Town. A 25-year-old man from West Bay was also arrested for carrying a restricted weapon outside of a nightclub in Marquee Plaza.

Then, in the early hours of Sunday morning, 2 October, officers conducting radar duties on West Bay Road near Avalon Condos began the pursuit of a speeding silver BMW at around 1:15am.

Police said they followed the vehicle with emergency lights and siren but the driver failed to stop and headed toward George Town on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway. Taking into account several factors, including light traffic on the roads, officers continued a coordinated pursuit of the vehicle to Grand Harbour with other police vehicles in the area.

The driver stopped in the vicinity of Red Bay Dock, where he was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, DUI, possession and consumption of ganja, and refusing to provide a specimen, police said.  The 25-year-old man from Bodden Town, is currently in custody.

At around 8:30pm Sunday evening officers and emergency personnel responded to a report of an overturned car on Bodden Town Road near the Sea Palm Villas. The driver of a white Toyota Land cruiser was outside the car with minor injuries when police arrived. He was taken to hospital but refused to provide a specimen for analysis to determine if he was under the influence of drug or alcohol. While emergency personnel were on-scene, another car, being driven by a 90-year-old man, collided into the parked fire truck, which had its lights flashing. The driver was unhurt but police are also investigating that smash.

The weekend ended with police arresting a 25-year-old George Town man on Monday morning during an operation in Prospect on suspicion of possession of an unlicensed firearm and attempted murder, in connection with an incident that occurred on 17 September near a nightclub.

Acting CoP Ennis said his officers continued to tackle serious incidents involving violence while also trying to save lives, as was the case involving the man who was shot in the earlier hours of Saturday morning on the West Bay Road.

“We are concerned about drivers who put other road users at risk by fleeing apprehension when given a lawful command to stop at a police checkpoint, as well as the growing anti-social and dangerous activities at certain places of entertainment,” he said.

He said that some nightclubs do a good job discouraging these activities and excluding people of ill-repute from their premises, which they have a legal right and duty to do. “Others, however, have not shown any interest in curbing these activities, while their premises continue to present a growing threat to public safety and their patrons, especially along the island’s tourist corridor.”

Ennis said police would be increasing in visibility around premises which are seen as trouble spots but he said the RCIPS would also be engaging the relevant licensing authorities, including the Fire Service, to ensure that these premises are not in violation of any statutory code.

“If they are operating a business that presents a danger to the public, appropriate actions should be taken,” he said. “We cannot sacrifice valuable resources to police these premises at the expense of the greater community.”

Ennis also noted the low standard of services provided by certain security personnel at some of the bars and said the police would be addressing this with a comprehensive and practical approach. He also warned people who are armed with weapons to expect to be prosecuted if they are caught. People arrested for fleeing police or obstructing officers in the line of duty can expect swift prosecution, the police chief added.

 

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Comments (20)

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  1. Rightyaso says:

    Stop wasting time prosecuting people for ganja, make it legal, just like alcohol, and tax it. Far fewer crimes when people are stoned. Plus it’s an effing waste of valuable police and court time. Agree with the poster above who said “these clubs that continue to attract this violence and (seemingly) do nothing to prevent it need to be closed down (or relocated to the industrial estate)”.

  2. Anonymous says:

    zero tolerance wins for me but will the courts ensure these guys are put away. It seems a daily occurrence now that drivers tailgate so close you cant even see their lights from your rear view mirrow. my wife has had several scary moments and was forced to turn into BT police station after 9pm one night. a presence on the streets by the RCIPS is one way to get these scum off the road. Good Job Ennis!!

  3. Anonymous says:

    Assuming all this good news is not suddenly new but is being released to us in a way Baines either could’nt or would’nt release.

    • Well says:

      It’s new news. Top cop should be local. More vested interest in their own country. Bains was the cause of the deterioration in policing.

  4. SSM345 says:

    Good job on the BMW driver if its the maniac that has been racing up and down from BT – Prospect over the last couple of weeks during all times of the day including rush hour traffic. I can only assume its him, but there seems to be a couple of others. These are new cars to the roads, all silver and they have that orange license plate. Effing eejits with no regard to anyone on the roads and its only a matter of time before they kill themselves, but it will most likely be others.

  5. Anonymous says:

    I would say they should shut that sh*thole Nectar down, but I would rather these drains on society shoot and eradicate each other there than come to where I hang out on the weekends.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Good job rcip

  7. Anonymous says:

    The landlords of nightclub/bar premises should be made to install proper lighting around the building exteriors and parking areas. This could be part of a liquor license.
    This moves suspect persons along, protects patrons & staff from incidents until they are in a car and leaving, plus provides clear CCTV surveilance and prevents break-in’s.
    Several good LED lights are easy to install. Not expensive to use. Use them from midnight until partons & staff are off the premises.
    Keep up the good work RCIPS.

  8. Anonymous says:

    But wait just last week the negative CNS posters were saying the police are incompetent.

    It is clear to me that the negative posters don’t live in Cayman or simply have a dim view on everything. I will pray for those negative posters and hope they come out of their dark hole.

  9. Anonymous says:

    WOW Great job RCIP someone work everybody up. I do hope all concerns will be raised each week.
    Maybe more harder rules for the night clubs.

  10. Anonymous says:

    This is exactly what I like to read of, coppers on the job nailing offenders.

  11. Good job says:

    Keep on doing your best Mr Ennis you are doing a great job

  12. Anonymous says:

    Nicely done RCIPS .. The effort you put in is greatly appreciated.

  13. Anonymous says:

    Great job RCIP. Kudos to Ennis and whoever else is responsible for the revitalization of Policing in Cayman. Keep up the great work!

  14. Anonymous says:

    It fascinates me that RCIPS has been able to suddenly pick up the pace like this after Baines left. Maybe there’s a message there? It also makes you wonder if we really needed to bring in another outsider as Commissioner.

  15. Anonymous says:

    I have always wondered why the owners of these establishments never get prosecuted. Almost every weekend they have some incident inside or in their parking lots. but then in the other hand I don’t really want the slimy lil gangbangers in my favorites so maybe we should just let them cull themselves at a more remote bar where no innocents will be hurt.

    • Anonymous says:

      Agreed (in part) however these are not remote bars, these are bars in the center of our tourist area, can you imagine how good it looks for Cayman when Mr and Mrs Tourist from Ohio are walking home from a night out and some gang member gets shot on the pavement in front of them? – Tourism is vital for our country, these clubs that continue to attract this violence and (seemingly) do nothing to prevent it need to be closed down (or relocated to the industrial estate).

      • Michel Lemay says:

        All it would take is 1 such incedent involving tourists. We would make the news worlwide in no time. Travel warnings could be issued. Keep up the good work Temp COP Mr. Ennis and team and more to be donem We also need convictions and adequate protection for would be witnesses. Not like the past please. That was a real joke and dangereous. You can quote me on that.

  16. Anonymous says:

    The public are asking the police to attend the known hot spots where narco killers and soon-to-be assasins hang out. Sorry if that’s inconvenient for you. Engagement is how the job gets done. Plenty of DUI candidates in the parking lots at closing to keep idle officers busy.

  17. Anonymous says:

    It is sad to read all of this… and then realizing I am reading about Grand Cayman. Keep up the recent good work RCIPS.

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