RCIPS officers help recapture prisoners in BVI
Cayman officers on patrol in the BVI (Photo courtesy of the RCIPS)
(CNS): An operation run by British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands police officers, alongside British Royal Marines and 47 UK police officers, resulted in the capture of over 100 escaped criminals from the Balsam Ghut prison on Tortola, BVI Governor Gus Jaspert stated yesterday. It is not clear if this means that all the prisoners have now been recaptured and the authorities have still not said exactly how many escaped after the prison was damaged during Hurricane Irma.
Sixteen Cayman Islands officers were deployed to the BVI in response to an urgent request for policing support made by Jaspert in the aftermath of the hurricane. UK Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan told the House of Commons there had been a “serious threat of the complete breakdown of law and order” in the BVI.
RCIPS officers in the BVI after Hurricane Irma
Following the police operation yesterday, Jaspert said, “The government of the British Virgin Islands is extremely grateful to the police and military personnel for their tireless efforts, which have today resulted in a thorough and extremely successful operation. I extend our gratitude to the UK and Cayman Islands governments for their provision of personnel on the ground here, helping to ensure the safety and security of all British Virgin Islanders.”
He said this signalled “a huge step in all of our efforts to rebuild this fantastic territory”.
Category: Caribbean, Crime, Police, Prison, World News
i know of one born caymanian living on Tortola…i am sure she is proud!☺?
This is disgusting and typical behaviour of white, western led media.
Similarly to the largest global news houses (CNN, Sky, FOX, MSNBC, BBC) the (chosen and featured) stories in the aftermath of regional natural disaster are to do with “threats” of crime, looting, and civil unrest.
Never mind that tens of thousands of people have lost their homes, traumatised children are hungry and devastated, and sick, elderly grandparents have lost their medical aids and are now very distressed.
(An ex university classmate of mine from BVI is dealing with this exact scenario right now …as is almost everyone else around him to some degree.)
Why isn’t the above not the featured theme of the reports? It IS the story of the moment – but the powers that be have decided otherwise. No excuse – absolutely disgusting.
Nevertheless, multi-billion dollar and supposedly professional media corporations fly out their staff only to look for and discuss rumors of criminal unrest (as they repeat the same grainy 9 second video clip for a week now), or show the faces of distressed, scared White people (tourists and expats / “residents”) clutching their passports hoping to win the flight lottery and escape the native savagery!
I guess only a “true” local / resident can understand how insulting has been the mainstream coverage of this disaster?
However, it does shed light on how and why different groups and communities in the western world remain so bitterly divided on certain topical social and political issues.
Not just the local news houses but the mainstream really must do better. The year is 2017, not 1817.
It is past due for decency and humanity. In fact, even then the time was past due.
– Whodatis
* Rather than get angry and posting sarcastic remarks, please take the time to educate yourselves beyond the headlines.
Speak to your company heads and see what you can do to help on the ground of our devastated neighbors.
As you see, Facebook and Google don’t implement flags, colours, and campaigns when bad things happen to certain folk…
When the chips are down, certain groups have only themselves to depend on – mainly because the mainstream doesn’t see downed chips – they only anticipate and pounce on “expected” stereotypes to feed the wider subconscious.
Yes Whodatis,
Spin this terrible event into the inevitable white versus black confrontation that misguides your entire way of thinking. “Mental slavery is a state of mind where discerning between liberation and enslavement is twisted. Where one becomes trapped by misinformation about self and the world.”
Put another way, you had already arrived at your verdict before you heard a single word of evidence. I feel genuinely sorry for you, but I cry for tens of thousands of people affected by this tragedy who need help, not your political grandstanding.
You haven’t addressed, challenged, or disproven a single point of my post – but you have thrown quite a few, although unimpressive, personal insults my way.
Therefore it begs the question; What exactly is your purpose?
I don’t speak on these issues for fun or kicks – this is real life out here buddy.
Either man up and confront me with some substance – or just sit down and shut the kcuf up.
– Whodatis
* Btw, how exactly does an anonymous poster go about “political grandstanding”?
** Lastly, the fact that you believe this is “politics” (as, interestingly, do the majority of the “mainstream”) says everything about you and the ridiculous state of reality in which we live.
Hello there “part” – allow me to introduce you to “problem” …
You had points based on logical argument? Sorry, I missed them. What I read was a rant against “white, western led media”. You doubt there is looting and disorder and that ordinary peace loving people of all colours are scared about that? Were you here after Ivan? I was.
I have seen plenty of reports that focus on the hardships. I have also seen reports that suggest that the people are scared of civil disorder. This story was about our cops helping to round up escaped prisoners. I dont recall any mention of their colour.
Peace
Unlike most other posters, yourself included, I am in daily contact with a friend in Tortola since the storm.
What I know to be a fact is the disparity between the media reports and the actual concerns of victims of this natural disaster.
For one example, the majority of those “escaped prisoners” were actually looking for and assisting devastated family members in the immediate aftermath of the Category 5 hurricane.
(Which, by the way is the most natural and humane thing to do. A collection of true sociopaths would be prisoners who turned right around without a care for loved ones after witnessing such destruction.)
They were not running around raping and pillaging in the decimated ruins as suggested by virtually every major media corporation.
However, most disgusting of all is the missing story of my friend’s 3-generational local family.
Frankly, the news coverage is an insult to not only he and his wife, but both his dear elderly mother, who counselled me during my most trying period to date, and his now pre-teen first born who I helped care for in their 1st years of life.
To choose and highlight fleeting rumors and reports of rampant disorder rather than the THOUSANDS of readily-available above stories is typical of western media and only serves to further the warped conditioning of certain people – of whom I suspect you may know a few.
Therefore, kindly save your baseless advice of “waiting for the facts”.
I always speak from an informed position despite how outlandish the material may read to willfully ignorant people.
With that said I shall now sign-off in full awareness of the zero impact the above will have on those that have chosen to uphold their conditioned and erroneous perspective.
Peace onto you as well.
– Whodatis
Pity you didn’t write that the first time around, I would not have felt the need to respond.
I don’t mind a laboured journey to reveal and deconstruct the typical tactics of modern (and past) media.
Furthermore, getting right to the point would not have brought about this enlightening exchange.
However, I take your point.
– Who
Oh dear…writing “Whodatis” is the same as being anonymous…you are definitely grandstanding and daring to criticize the poster for calling you on it. Like he said, warped vision.
I wish people like you would stop making every one of my submitted posts about me.
Clearly you are obsessed but believe it or not, I am not here for a penis-length contest.
Some of us genuinely care about the subject matter at hand.
– Who
This is true! Colonial control!
Who, you are nuts. Law and order breaks down when people are hungry and homeless and tired, it doesn’t matter if it is here, US, UK or anywhere else. After Ivan it was Derek Haines and his son that put an ending to the looting, when most of the Police did not turn up for work. It is the saddest fact, but its true, elements of humanity are disgusting and turn criminal when things are bad, instead of coming together trying to help people. So is it a news story? Yes it is. And it is because the general law abiding public need to know that something is being done about so they can go about trying to recover without fearing looters or robbers.
And as for covering people trying to recover, plenty of coverage on now, weather channel, BBC, NBC, French and Dutch television..and telling people how to help.
The one thing I will grant you, is that a storm here or in the US makes global coverage, but when 1500 people across India, Bangladesh, Pakistan get killed in a storm, it gets lip service…and that is wrong.
Excellent job. Proud to be your colleague. You not only made us proud, but the mix of representation is very telling. I hope someday the story of the conditions under which you are serving is written and published for all to hear.
Sorry to be the cynic but hows about we start catching some criminals on our own soil?
The RCIP assisted in collecting already identified criminals. A great effort and wonderful contribution to our neighbours in the East, but no enormous feat, in my opinion. There was never any doubt that our RCIP is capable of identifying and collecting felons that have ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED by the court of law. The issue is in the proper collection of evidence, adhering to report protocol in order to build a solid case against a criminal, and charging and lawfully convicting those who deserve it so that criminals don’t walk free because some dipsh!t didn’t follow protocol. How about all the unconvinced yet guilty sex offenders we have walking about our island? Oh, and the fact that they can acquire weapons illegally but I can’t legally purchase a simple can of mace to protect my body and my home? How about the fact that there are children on our island who have been sexually abused by family members or family friends but may never see justice because of “police bungling and delays”. Please refer to https://caymannewsservice.com/2017/09/sex-crimes-draft/
This is all well and good. Thank you for taking a stand for our neighbors. Now, lets see some results at home.
You could not have said it better!
Fluff, I am quite sure that if Irma had hit Cayman and destroyed our infrastructure and convicted prisoners; robbers, rapists,pedophiles, perverts, burglars, murders, thieves, arsonists and so for, had escaped and were running the “streets” you would be happy another country came to our aid just like we are now for BVI. Just be thankful that we are in a position to help and we too are not the ones needing the help. Instead of complaining maybe you could contribute to change and serve your community as aspecial constable and aid the process of crime prevention.
You are absolutely right and if you did take the time to read my piece I stated my gratitude to our RCIP for the held they extended to our neighbours. Also, you have not even the slightest idea of the height of contribution I have set forth in my community pre and post Ivan. I only speak of things I am educated on, perhaps you should do the same.
No one is saying that there haven’t been screw ups, but why is it so hard for you to just ACKNOWLEDGE the police when they do something extraordinary too? What they’ve done in the east has been extraordinary and dangerous…covered in the international press and commended by everybody….except you, who feels they MUST put an asterisk by it with a big complaint. You are saying nothing new, and have been given the space to say it so many other times, but you feel like you must say it again just when the police just might be getting some well-deserved praise. It is in these moments, when the police undeniably do a great job that people like you just can’t fully accept, that the true BIAS against the cops in Cayman is exposed for all to see, and the fact along with it that this bias is driven by things other than how the police do their job, but just who they are.
What Irma exposed was just how important policing is, and how we as a society need to support our police, not tear them down. Hold them to account when necessary, but praise them when it is due
Congrats to our brave police offices.
Why all the thumbs down. There really are some clowns out there. No doubt my comment will attract more but who cares.
We must think more positive and bloggers should give names. Have they no balls?
Chris, you have status. Those of us that do not have that privilege know the repercussions of daring to post our names unless it is something really positive. And this story is positive, so my point is in general and not specific on this one, however there are idiots who just go through and thumb down everything.
I hope all of you out there always critizing the officers will take a pause on that, I also hope they soon come back and don’t be tempted to take up employment in the BVI. Good job guys.
Another proud moment for the RCIPS. Couldn’t be more pleased to read this and see some ‘good news’ shared about our constabulary and their ability to provide law-enforcement. Thank you RCIPS !!
I’m very proud of the work of the RCIP and the effort led by our Premuer. You’ve made us all proud to be Caymanian.
You can’t even spelt primier! Bahaha
Next time try not to have a glaring grammatical error when you are making fun of someone who made a spelling error.
11.11 neither can you
Good job guys!
This is a proud moment for the RCIPS and for Cayman. It is time to recognize that our police service is a good and professional one, deserving of our praise.