Four more years for top cop

| 07/10/2019 | 43 Comments
Cayman News Service
Police Commissioner Derek Byrne

(CNS): Police Commissioner Derek Byrne will be staying in his top police job for another four years. Governor Martyn Roper said Monday that his contract has been extended until the end of September 2023. The governor said Byrne, who has proven more popular than previous foreign commissioners with the public, was a dedicated leader who has made an enormous impact to the safety and security of Cayman.

“This territory remains one of the safest places to live and visit in the Caribbean and serious crime levels continue to fall under the commissioner’s leadership,” the governor said, adding that he, the premier and the commissioner were all committed to continual reform of law enforcement agencies, investing in community policing and developing Caymanian talent. “We will continue to pursue this agenda in the years to come,” Roper stated.

However, the commissioner’s contract renewal means that any chance of a Caymanian heading up the RCIPS has been postponed again for four years. Despite his own declarations in the past about succession planning for Caymanians so they can take up the key public sector roles, Premier Alden McLaughlin said he was happy that Byrne was staying on until 2023.

“It is reassuring to know that the stability he has brought to the job while helping to train Caymanian police officers will continue,” McLaughlin added.

Byrne said he was very pleased his extension in office had been approved. He said he was looking forward to working with government and his staff to continue the journey to a modern, progressive, professional policing service.

“I am committed to working in partnership with communities across the Cayman Islands to deliver a policing service that has the trust and confidence of the communities it serves. As an entity of the wider Cayman Islands Civil Service, the RCIPS will continue its transition to deliver a police service that is accessible, responsive, transparent and accountable, delivered within an ethical framework supported by robust governance structures, processes and procedures,” he added.

Related article: 11 women among 22 new RCIPS officers


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Category: Crime, Jobs, Local News, Police

Comments (43)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    4 more years? No time off for good behaviour?

  2. Anonymous says:

    the truth is, he’s the most political commissioner of police since jim stowers and has politicized the police service.
    The most popular ‘foreign’ commissioner is anthony grey both with the populace and the staff.
    This guy is far from the image portrayed but he has done a good job cultivating a false person unlike what he had in his previous police force and his bosses know this but he has the political backing and he’s ‘uk’. Time will tell.

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  3. Anon says:

    Well, I sincerely hope he can find a Caymanian to fill his shoes during the next 4 years, then all this grousing and criticism will stop.

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    • Da-wa-u-get says:

      You’re joking right? The only thing many Caymanians like less than a foreign COP is one of their own being appointed!

  4. Brian of Nazareth says:

    With Commissioner Byrne running what is probably the most well-funded police force in the world (400 staff, $50m budget plus soon to have two helicopters) it would be interesting to see how an independent body would measure the performance, effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy of the RCIPS. To be objective, the violent and acquisitive crime that has, from time to time plagued the island, does (at the moment) appear to be reasonably well managed. I feel that Mr Byrne should start holding his subordinates to account, specifically around the enforcement of traffic offences (which are frankly disgraceful) and meaningful prevention activity in regards to reducing the crazy amount of collisions on the roads. Given what appear to be be very generous resources the RCIPS seems to be largely invisible….Let’s hope that in the next four years he can change that?

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Yes, we now have a dancing policeman. Traffic offences are occurring daily, and traffic direction should not cause distraction with a dancing clown, they need to take the job seriously, policing is not entertainment.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    So who’s he training as his replacement?! Thought Immigration would have been enforcing this…..oh wait!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Your best bet is to keep hiring tough Irish cops. No local can stand up to all the corruption, family ties, lodge brothers and politics.

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  7. Anon says:

    well he needs to firstly deal with the glaringly obvious leak he has under his command who sends CMR personal and private police reports and statements ! No need to have a press officer while they allow this to continue !!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Are you kidding me I can’t go anywhere without all the sudden getting a message that says wait were you just here? Mainly the police station or the hospital. So two places that you should be anonymous, you’re not. Everyone knows someone.

  8. Anonymous says:

    if only he believed in law enforcement.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Our known criminals and their kingpins are born and raised here. Their capos wheelying around in traffic, drugs/guns/ammo/people smuggling, stealing property, melting down jewelry, and operating with impunity as if there is an immoral truce agreement between the gangs and police. The police management suite, are briefed, they know who they are, what their specialties are, and where they live and operate! No kingpin arrests since the GT hospital incident years ago. It makes you wonder what extremes of boondoggle the RCIPS are willing to engage in with our $50mln/yr to appear like they have a handle on any of it.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    With >400 full time officers, and budget of >$50mln/year, why can’t Derek muster a passable effort at traffic and community patrols? The buck stops with Byrne. There needs to be some offsetting balance found between the prevailing lawlessness and crime fighting before the governor extends failing service contracts. Dispatch times remain at 20-30mins+ even in the heart of our Hotel Tourism Zone!!

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  11. Anonymous says:

    It’s one thing to have the support of the Unity Government, while losing the trust and confidence of the vast rank-and-file and support staff, who are leaving in numbers not seen before. The loss of skills, experience and local knowledge are the lifeblood of policing and new entrants while welcome will take years to recover and it’s then that we will see the real impacts. But again, this is Cayman and neocolonialism is alive and well unless you are connected!

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    • Person says:

      You mean the officers who have been sooo effective at handling their jobs to date?? Give me a break, they know they won’t get away with their BS anymore

  12. Anonymous says:

    The issue at hand is why so many Police Offices are leaving RCIPS and going else where

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  13. Anonymous says:

    I must be living on a different island from Governor Martyn Roper as I definitely feel less safe now than I have at anytime in the past. I can appreciate that Commissioner Derek Byrne has done all he can within his abilities, however, there is no way in my opinion to link the renewal of his contract to actual accomplishments. I would love to hear more about what the commissioner has done to reduce violent crime and crime in general and look forward to the constructive feedback.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Looks to me like he has been arresting people at a good clip. You have a pretty big group of thugs, psychos, crackheads and drunks and they seem to be multiplying. You need better prosecutors, tougher judges, a bigger jail, better education and family services, that’s all. Byrne can’t do it all.

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  14. Jotnar says:

    A question for the DPP and the judiciary. RCIPS just catches them – conviction and sentencing not under their control.

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  15. Anonymous says:

    6:42. Wrong Island

    Excellent work Derek continue to clean house

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  16. Anonymous says:

    job well done….lets extend this opportunity to the new fire chief…

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  17. Anonymous says:

    Byrne, why are there so many foreign criminals here? Why are you operating a catch and release program for them? They should be getting deported after their first transgression, not allowed to stay and commit more serious crimes!

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    • Anonymous says:

      I totally agree with your comment however, I believe it is time for Immigration/Boarder Control to act jointly with the Police criminal records and start deporting these criminals, they are destroying our place.
      I would also include DUI on the watch out even if a person doesn’t get deported, but it should be mandatory at least 2 weeks immediately imprisonment and depending on the circumstances, deportation.

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    • Anonymous says:

      He doesn’t decide who can come and he doesn’t decide sentences.

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      • Anonymous says:

        He could report people to immigration on everything from domestic violence to shoplifting. Immigration could then free us from imported problems. Instead, no report is made and nothing happens.

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      • Anonymous says:

        He could have considerable influence, but seems not to exercise it.

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    • Tom says:

      90% criminals at Northward prison are Caymanians so they can not be deport.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Simply not true. 40% are expats and many of the so called Caymanians are not.

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        • Anonymous says:

          20+years of Cause Lists to the contrary!

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        • Anon says:

          11.32am Nonsense, call the Prison Director and face the facts.

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          • Anonymous says:

            Read the ESO report. 74 non Caymanian prisoners. 166 Caymanian prisoners. That makes the prison population 30% expat. However, many persons recorded as Caymanian are in fact foreign nationals. The prison director’s test for determining who is Caymanian is not the same as the Immigration Law test. FACT.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yeh, forget all about the Cayman criminals, nothing to see here, just get the foreign ones and all our problems will be solved….FFS…oldest racism in the book

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