RCIPS assists devastated BVI and TCI
RCIPS Command Team with officers deployed to BVI
(CNS): The RCIPS chopper has been sent to the Turks and Caicos Islands and 16 Cayman Islands officers are now in the British Virgin Islands to help those islands in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. According to the RCIPS, the deployment of cops to the BVI was in response to an urgent request yesterday for policing support made by the governor of those islands. It was coordinated by the CI Governor’s Office, the RCIPS Senior Command Team and the crisis team in London.
Matthew Forbes, who heads the office of Cayman Islands Governor Helen Kilpatrick, went with the RCIPS officers to provide support to the governor’s office in BVI.
“The British Virgin Islands have been devastated by Hurricane Irma, and they are in need of our help,” said Acting Commissioner of Police Anthony Ennis. “Many of us remember Hurricane Ivan and the help that our sister territories provided to us during that difficult time. It is our duty and honour to reciprocate and do whatever we can to improve their situation.”
RCIPS helicopter crew before deployment to TCI
The police officers left the Cayman Islands Saturday afternoon on a chartered Cayman Airways flight for Barbados, “where they will join UK military assets and government personnel also being deployed to the BVI”, police said.
How long they will be there is not known at this point, but their task is “to provide law enforcement and humanitarian support”. The RCIPS said the Cayman contingent is likely to be the first police reinforcements to reach BVI in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
The RCIPS police helicopter and crew arrived in Turks and Caicos Saturday morning, and police said it “is now providing vital reconnaissance and operational support to the authorities there”.
Forbes said, “Clearly the BVI and TCI require significant assistance following the passage of such a devastating hurricane, and the Cayman Islands has responded swiftly, in coordination with the UK, to provide essential and practical support to those who have been affected.”
Category: Caribbean, Local News, Police, World News
What absolute tripe some people write. I cannot reply individually there is so much here. Once again CNS, your readers (using the term loosely) managed to turn the volunteer actions of a brave few who head where others leave into a circus of fools. Armchair warriors, while you are sat there writing your cra*, people are actually out there doing a job and doing it well and bravely. I believe the helicopter crew were flying into the rear of the storm to get into as early as possible to Turks. Not sat in some bar swigging a rum an dlooking for the next negative reposte. And followed by the RCIPS ground team to BVI as the first police officers in to help. Yes people, people from the Cayman Islands going to help while you all sit and moan. And moan again. Stand proud Cayman that we still actually do have people that stand up to be counted when needed. Next comment armchair warriors.
Too bad they don’t have a Derek Haines over there! He single handedly controlled looters in Cayman after Ivan because the rest of cops didn’t show up for work.
You is a total idiot. I happened to be a police at the time and we were out in numbers. Get a life you fool
Yeah you were out in force… about 2 weeks after the storm. You think we forgot?
I was there at work as a Caymanian after Ivan with Derek. However i wads disappointed that Mr. Haines Caymanian supervisors took two weeks to show up at work after Ivan and now want to be politicians. That is the future leaders of Cayman gambling with everything.
these moneys could have went to your school system Cayman!
It is not the duty or obligation of the RCIPS or people of the Cayman Islands to bear the cost and capacity impacts of sending our unarmed and unskilled people for international territorial policing duties (and into prison break situations). This is the express responsibility of Mother dearest. The Royal Army has 80,000 trained and equipped personal and a further 26,500 reservists that are maintained as a modern deployable expeditionary force for this very purpose – evidenced by the summer amphibious landing at Governor’s Beach and post-Hurricane commitments expressed just weeks ago. We, by contrast, have deficient capability as it is – underscored by an ongoing volunteer recruitment drive. If this was a BVI dominoes tournament, maybe it would make more sense.
That’s really nice of them but when they come back maybe they assist with our looting problems as well.
RCIPS have put 56 officers on forced leave due to excessive overtime, and are desperately trying to get 50 volunteer constables, the marine unit is well-understaffed, yet we can spare 27 of the remainder to send off to somewhere else? How many of the officers heading to BVI and Turks are the officers already on forced leave (that are twiddling their thumbs anyway)?
Not sure you can count or read; the total is 16, as stated in the article, plus 4 for the helicopter. That makes twenty. And to continue with your ill-informed comments, the reason the officers were put on leave is because they had accrued so much time working themselves to death to cover for the fact that the Service has been undermanned for a very long time now! So yes, sending these officers off is a big sacrifice, but one we need to make to show our solidarity with those who have helped us in the past. Not sure, though, that is something you can understand.
Head count of those preening in the media images (for recognition of their selfless IRMA volunteer service) is 27. Hurling even one of our feebly-equipped officers into a life and death disaster situation seems ill-advised. It is NOT our responsibility, nor OUR obligation. Last I checked, the BVI was not a Territory of the Cayman Islands was it? Our limited resources are being misallocated to our detriment by special arrangement of the presiding Governors. Perhaps I am biased, as I say that as a victim of a serious crime where the assigned investigative officer happily poses in image one.
The fact is 7:44 and 45 is this is proof to a point i have raise many times we have the highest police per captia in the world and this constant crying we hear about more man power and funding is a scam by those who rule this place to continually maintain control. When you can lend that amount of equipment and manpower without blinking and eye it speaks volumes i am not crying down them going to assist other overseas dependent territories i in fact applaud this effort to assist them. However these islands are all part of a group called the RSS Regional Security System which has enough man to assist. Why not use the funding to pay those islands governments to assist in this recovery effort.
Because it is simply not the responsibility of the Cayman Islands to send untrained and unarmed personal into a neighbouring UK territory to quell their “prison breaks”, provide disaster, including the much-ballyhooed “post-hurricane” logistics which are the professed remit of the British Army and Navy – the third-largest public sector employers in the UK – bought and paid for!!
It sure sounds like you’re crying down sending the assistance.
Great on our police helping our neighbor islands in time of this crisis.
This is our Governor’s office instructing RCIPS to go in response to pleas from neighbouring BOTC Governors. One should really ask: where is the Royal Army and Navy in this? Why should the people of the Cayman Islands be taxed (literally and figuratively) to fund territorial rescue operations for the Crown?!?
UK forces are building up a logistics base in Barbados via airbridge and HMS Ocean is en-route with another 7 helicopters, five of them heavy-lift, plus vehicles, personnel and stores. Approximately 900 UK troops are already n the region, with around 600 said to be in BVI, Anguilla and TCI (most in BVI, I would guess). US Marines arrived in USVI today (Wed 13th). The RAF is also assisting the French forces with with heavy airlift to support the French Territories (UK and Dutch Marines are a closely integrated force, so they will probably assist the Dutch, if needed).
Also, just a minor correction – it’s the British Army, not the Royal Army – it was founded (as a standing army) when England was a Commonwealth, not a monarchy, so it never got the “Royal” prefix. It became the British Army after the union of Scotland with England and Wales.
Hopefully they will not encounter any child-abuse cases…
Ha
I commend RCIPS for their support to the affected islands after hurricane Irma’s destruction. Let no one say that these officers are not going beyond their call of duty. I was so proud to be a part of RCIPS many years ago and am truly your best supporter. I feel that Comm., Byrne is an asset to this Force. He has proved in this short time what Policing is all about. Support your Force people if you want your Islands back to the safe environment it used to be. Well done RCIPS.
How come the eight thumbs down. We need support the RCIP not antagonize them. Many people here have a short memory. Remember when Ivan was devastating Cayman we did get assistance from abroad. Well done RCIP. Think positive everyone.
While I feel sorry for BVI and their situation the police can hardly get a grip on crime here. Was it wise to send so many officers? Where is the British navy?
I might be wrong, but in peace times the army, or navy, is of little use in maintaining law and order. The police are the ones charged with that, and if you’ve read some of the news feeds, they are going to have their hands full. I don’t envy them one bit.
How do our unarmed and untrained police quell the prison break? Is that really their area of expertise?
Great news for our local drug running fleet.
Thought the same; our Islands are kind of dry right now with recent busts so the Kingpins will be loving this APB that our main line of defense (“The Iron Ching Ching”) has gone elsewhere and subsequently allowed boats to come and go as they please.
Or have they hired Jerome for backup?