Suspects rounded up in face of burglary spike

(CNS): The RCIPS has seen a significant increase in burglaries recently, with 24 break-ins reported on Grand Cayman since the beginning of this month, most of them in Bodden Town and West Bay. While the burglaries in West Bay were largely opportunistic, as a result of open doors and windows, a number of  break-ins in Bodden Town involved forced entry, with valuable goods being stolen. But police have been on the trail of the suspects and have rounded up at least five people in connection with several of the crimes, recovering a large amount of stolen property, including a Rolex watch, jewellery, electronics, gaming devices, toys, designer sunglasses and more. 

“What we believe we are seeing in the Eastern Districts are multiple burglaries committed by a small group of individuals,” said Detective Superintendent Pete Lansdown. “These burglaries are not random, but target residences that appear vulnerable or may have valuable property.

“During the holiday season we often see an increase in burglaries and thefts. While we continue to do our part to respond to, investigate, and prevent burglaries, it is always important for the public to do what they can to help keep their property secure,” he added.

Police are asking residents to be sure that their homes are secured whenever they leave the premises and at night. This means that all windows and doors should be closed and locked, and premises should be well lit. Valuables should not be kept where they can be seen from outside and boxes from expensive purchases should be placed in bins or dumpsters out of sight, or kept indoors and brought out just before garbage collection. It is also important to take similar steps to secure vehicles and not to leave valuables inside where they can be seen by passersby.

As the police continue to crack down on crime, they have arrested several people, including a 50-year-old woman from West Bay, who has been charged with burglary in relation an incident on Thursday, 7 December, where jewellery was stolen from a residence on Reverend Blackman Road. A 44-year-old woman from George Town was arrested this week and charged with burglary today over an incident that occurred in George Town on 7 December, where a quantity of cash and some household items were taken.

A 19-year-old man from Bodden Town has been charged with possession of criminal property in relation to a burglary on Tuesday, 21 November, in Bodden Town.  A search of his residence recovered suspected stolen property, including a television and several watches. He appeared in court on Wednesday, 6 December, and is now on bail.

Two other arrests were made in Bodden Town this week after police executed a search warrant at an address in Cumber Avenue. When officers arrived, two men in a vehicle at the address fled on foot, and although officers chased them, they only caught one of them. A search of the car, however, uncovered stolen property from multiple burglaries in Bodden Town and a 19-year-old man from the district was arrested and later charged with burglary and handling stolen goods. He was due in court today.

The second man, aged 18, was apprehended later by officers, charged with handling stolen goods and remanded in custody. He is also facing charges over the theft of a car in another incident.

Police said that some of the stolen goods that they have recovered have already been identified and claimed by their  owners but they still have a number of  unclaimed items, as shown below from the RCIPS Facebook page. Anyone who would like to contact police about the items can call the Bodden Town Police Station at 947-2220.