Operation Winter Guardian targeting drunk drivers
(CNS): Drunk drivers will be among the main targets of this year’s annual police holiday safety campaign. The crackdown on crime, particularly on the roads, will get underway this weekend with an increase in high-visibility RCIPS patrols and traffic stops on various roads around the Cayman Islands. Operation Winter Guardian aims to reduce traffic collisions, crack down on drunk drivers and a public awareness campaign providing information and safety tips. “The large number of social events during the holiday season often results in more people driving under the influence, and more serious traffic collisions,” said Acting Chief Inspector Everton Spence.
“Our annual holiday safety campaign, together with the anti-drunk driving initiatives of our partners, helps to manage this increased activity and deter drunk driving and other traffic offenses,” he added.
The traffic unit will also be focusing on offenses such as driving with illegal tint, driving unlicensed and uninsured vehicles, and illegal parking in disabled parking spaces. Partnering with the National Drug Council to facilitate their annual Designated Driver and New Year’s Eve Purple Ribbon Bus campaigns, the police are hopeful they can have an impact on reducing collisions, which have shown no sign of falling recently.
“Last New Year’s Eve, 2016, there were no DUIs recorded. This positive accomplishment comes in large part as a result of these campaigns, and we expect the positive results to continue this year,” CI Spence added, as he urged people to work together to prevent any tragedies on the road this holiday season
The Designated Driver Campaign, an initiative of local restaurants which provide any designated driver of a party with complimentary soft drinks throughout the evening, began on 1 December and continues throughout the holiday season.
The New Year’s Eve Purple Ribbon Bus Service is organised on an annual basis to provide regular free bus service between West Bay and Bodden Town on New Year’s Eve from 9:00pm to 4:00am. During those times, occasional service will also be provided to East End and North Side. The service will also be offered in Cayman Brac for the first time this year.
Operation Winter Guardian will run from Friday, 8 December, to Monday, 1 January.
Category: Crime, Crime Prevention, Police
I had to drive my family on Friday and Saturday nights and the frequency of lane-meandering impaired drivers was staggering. Had to blow the horn defensively several times in a short 3 mile commute. Didn’t see a cop all night. Pretty much the same non-existent police presence we are all too familiar with. We need to change these entrenched behaviors – both on the DUI and Police sides!!!
Have to drive if you are too pi$$ed to walk…
But yard bredren never get stopped!
Nor do the rugby blokes.
CNS: Do we have a count of how many of the 407 RCIPS (343 enlisted, 64 civilian) are engaged full time in the Traffic Unit? How much of the >$30,000,000/year we pay is apportioned to that unit, and how do they rationalize that expenditure? Is there an annual report or statistics that can be inspected by the public? What can the public do to instruct RCIPS’s priorities (which seem determined never to meet minimum performance expectations)?
CNS: I have passed these questions on to Auntie on CNS Local Life.
“Operation Winter Guardian”?! LMAO who in the hell came up with that? So what happen to Autumn, Summer & Spring? The names they come up with are just as ridiculous as the organization! Lol
” Anonymous at 12.00pm” sounds pretty unlikely too.
RCIPs car cut me up this morning crossing the wrong lane of a roundabout to exit to Camana bay…seriously guys?
I dunno bout unna..but I stayin my yad this holiday season…
Nah man, get home before 10 and you good
Thats the cheesiest operation name ever. RCIPS out here thinking they the Avengers XD
RCIPS Assemble!
LOL
Only voted down cause you must not have been here for “Christmas Cracker”
You sound like the Grench who stold Christmas. Let police do they job and be great full nah. Mercy
None of that was even remotely close to English. The “Grench” who “stold” Christmas!!! Wow!
Adding the word Mercy to the end automatically triggers the “thou art forgiven” grammatical rule, at least in the eye of the writer. English Grammar, 2017, Cayman Islands.
You did not include “great full” in your comment.
I should have just rewrote the entire thing for them but I was trying to be nice-ish.
Whilst I appreciate road safety and ending drunk driving but what I am trying to get my head around are the following: serious crimes are up, why not send resources to protect and serve in areas that are known as bad areas i.e. Eastern Avenue just found I getting almost beaten to death. Tourists areas to ensure our visitors are safe i.e. one rape on SMB and an almost rape in WB. Uninsured bikes on the roads i.e. rogue bikers last weekend. Burgaleries, i.e. homes being broken into.
Why not plant undercover officers to patrol SMB and GT. Show police presence (marked cars) in residential areas (the ones that can’t afford security guards and gated community) and in the business district.
I believe these small suggestions would keep the community safe, more people would go out and support the restaurants, stores, instead of staying home and in the process, they would catch the DUI drivers.
Excellent RCIPS! This campaign of getting these drunk drivers off the road together with other traffic violators is a definite step in the right direction. These continual road traffic accidents due to drink/drugs must be stamped out once and for all. The unnecessary deaths due to these incompetent idiots on the road is appalling. Yes, I agree, a much needed regular bus service will help immensely in cutting down these DUI offenders but there still will be the drunks that would rather drive. RCIPS needs to have the backing of the Courts to heavily fine and take away the licenses of these offenders for a substantial amount of time. In fact, their vehicles should be confiscated just like vehicles/boats that are caught carrying drugs. This will be a huge deterrent for these DUI offenders. Hit them where it hurts most. No one wants their car taken away. This way you will see a massive drop in drunk drivers. I would love to return to the Traffic Department and have the opportunity to lead this team in this operation.
Some good points…but…Not gonna happen!
How about being the Islands/people guardian year round , not winter guardian. .
Too much work and makes too much sense
Diogenes
Dio yuh up late in the AMs man. Havin a few drinks too na true? 😛 Seriously though I agree these days it seems like if something makes too much sense, it doesn’t make sense in their and govt’s eyes.
My wife drives much better after I’ve had a few drinks.
They worried about drunk drivers when gangs of rouge bikers are allowed to roam free?
The rouge is very worrying in a homophobic island
……..the rouge rogues on the road!
Catchy, could be number 1 at Christmas!
Homophobic island?
The buses need to run all year round, end of problem…up and down SMB for a dollar or two each way..will cut your problem just like that.
The people that live on SMB are not the ones that need an affordable bus service.
Very few of us live on SMB, but we do visit the bars and restaurants alongside smartypants
So smartass, when you get the above suggested low cost rides up and down SMB, how you getting home?
By the buses that will run from SMB to the housing areas, are you having a bad hair day or just completely dense?
Can you read, fool?
Yes, but I can think too.
lol…
Unfortunately the Caymanian families that own and operate the Jamaican run Taxi companies, have opposed these efforts – including a free bar-consortium-arranged bus service from West Bay to George Town after closing. All the stakeholders need to be part of the discussion, including the LLB!
So the taxi companies are Caymanian owned and operated, but Jamaican run? If you own and operate something, don’t you run it? Or are you just desperate to vilify two nationalities in the same post?
Frontin nah done