Cops begin Christmas crackdown on crime

| 03/12/2020 | 22 Comments
Cayman News Service
RCIPS community police officers conduct business patrol checks in West Bay

(CNS): Police will begin their annual holiday safety operations tomorrow, Friday, with increased visible patrols and community support, as well as intensified road enforcement operations. The goal is to ensure a safe holiday season for members of the public as they do their shopping, travel the roads and enjoy festivities. Acting Superintendent of Uniform Operations Brad Ebanks said it was about visible policing to reassure the public and deter crime during the increase in commercial activity.

“Community police officers will be conducting evening foot patrols across residential communities and commercial areas around the Cayman Islands to increase visibility and provide support to residents, business owners and shoppers through the Holiday Season,” he said.

“Our Traffic and Roads Policing Unit will be increasing its efforts with high visibility patrols and traffic checkpoints, with the aim of reducing traffic collisions and increasing road safety by cracking down on drunk driving, distracted driving, and speeding.”

Ebanks said while these activities are a major focus all year round for police, the festive period brings additional issues and challenges. “I would ask all members of the public to work with the police, by simply following the law and behaving responsibly, as we continue to work to keep our communities safer.”

Inspector Dwayne Jones, head of the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit, urged people not to drink and drive. “As we enter the festive season, we know that social gatherings become more frequent and so the temptation to drink and drive increases,” he said.

“This year especially, we are fortunate to be able to celebrate the holidays in ways that persons in many other countries cannot. However, there is still no excuse to behave irresponsibly. If you will be consuming alcohol, then you must find an alternative to driving. If not, you will face the consequences,” Jones warned.

The RCIPS will also support the National Drug Council in their annual Designated Driver, Purple Ribbon Pledge, and New Year’s Eve Purple Ribbon Bus campaigns.

The Designated Driver Campaign begins this week and continues throughout the holiday season. The campaign is an initiative by local restaurants, which offer to provide the designated driver of a party with complimentary soft drinks throughout the evening.

The Purple Ribbon Bus service provides free bus service on New Year’s Eve from 9:00pm to 4:00am for all districts on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. Additionally, the RCIPS encourages drivers to take the Purple Ribbon Pledge to not drink and drive over the holiday season.

Visit the NDC Facebook page for more information.

The RCIPS is reminding the public to be especially cautious of financial crime, which tends to increase during the holiday season as people increase their online shopping and transactions using debit and credit cards. Always be sure to take appropriate precautions when engaging in these activities, and be sure to guard your financial information closely.

More tips on financial crime prevention can be found here.


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Category: Crime, Crime Prevention

Comments (22)

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  1. Dr D. says:

    Police need to address the current situation of Milton drive in Newlands, there is a crack/weed drug house there since the young boy moved in ( about 3 years now), the funny thing is a police office lives just around the corner and turns a blind eye everyday, its clear by all the random cars that stop and go on a nightly basis whats being sold, it isn’t patties!!The house looks like a typical drug den!
    I cant make it any cleared without saying the address, XXX he is solely destroying the whole neighbor hood, I’ve told police on many occasions and nothing ever gets done about it, its shameful!!

    • Anonymous says:

      Sorry that I’m not sorry that I have more friends and family than you. And just because I keep wave runners in the front yard doesn’t mean that I’m a crack dealer.

      Disgusting generalizations. Why don’t you post up your address neighbor?

    • Parasitic Coat hangers says:

      Dearest Dr D they ain’t here for that it’s about the salary$$$ and just like their homeland and crime ridden neighborhoods we clearly see their inaction and exactly what their intentions and motives are for letting crime to flourish in Cayman . Every year we watch as their nationalities fill up the ranks of law enforcement unabated and we wonder why the public is frustrated and terms useless, inept, corrupt,,bias incompetent are constantly used to describe or to explain their type of policing skill and methodology we now have to put up with. Yet we never question our governing power why this is and why nothing is done about it .Yet we hear their well defined propaganda they are encouraging young Caymanians to join Which actually works quite well for them because they can then use that to justify hiring from jurisdictions which reflects the diversity of our population. This happening to Cayman because this is what the UK wants to happen to Cayman and the sooner we realize this the better we will be to hopefully try and stop this onslaught and serious assault to our social fabric and economic viability that keeps our little islands from sinking into their type of criminal quagmire or world. Stop hiring and employing these people Cayman at all levels stop importing their culture and their deported criminals guns and drugs. Remove those Caymanians in positions who are complicit in undermining and destroying our way of life and our society.

  2. Anonymous says:

    This is the time of year when accidents involving police cars ramp up.

  3. Big Pappa says:

    Today’s headline: “Cops begin Christmas crackdown on crime”

    January 1, 2021 headline: “Cops stop crackdown on crime.”

    March 1, 2021 headline: “Cops thinking really hard about their jobs. Effort required to do so leaves them utterly spent. Continue to ignore crime.”

    July 1, 2021 headline: “Cops looking forward to Christmas crackdown on crime. Resting up for it and dreaming of a white Christmas.”

    October 1, 2021 headline: “Cops slowly gearing up to doing their jobs. Struggling to get out of their armchairs after having gained 35 lbs. Mental fog also leaves them disabled.”

    December 4, 2021 headline: “Cops begin Christmas crackdown on crime in 1st gear. Not so sure they can make it to 2nd gear. 3rd gear is certainly out of the question. Holiday spirit, the type that you drink, leaves most of them on in a giddy mood and looking forward to January 1, 2022.”

    January 1, 2022 headline: “Cops end crackdown on crime after another (one) successful arrest. Courts cannot convict due to poor evidence gathering.”

  4. Anonymous says:

    Honestly, the word ‘trust’ is not the first word that comes to mind of the general public as it relates to the RCIPS. Sorry to be too honest. Their actions speak much louder than their words.

    • Anonymous says:

      So true! And was told by a lawyer, wish you had contacted me earlier, don’t go up against the Police even though you may be right. Even those dressed in black with guns… Pretend you don’t know them when u do just from their voice is the same one that tried fraud on you on the phone!

  5. Anonymous says:

    I have lived here for 40 years. I am a law abiding citizen, I love the people, and I love the islands.

    But what is it that I hate, and which riles me up every time I drive to the grocery stores? It’s not so much the number of vehicles that are clearly breaking the law and the level of sheer bad driving, but the habit of the police to turn a blind eye to them. Every one of us sees a multitude of illegalities happening on our roads day after day, and we all wonder why the police do nothing about them.

    An example: Shamrock Road by Hurley’s going east is a dreadful, very dangerous race track. Everyone knows it; every day we see trucks, cars and bikes tearing along it. But do the police ever do anything about it? Of course they don’t; and my question is WHY NOT?! It absolutely infuriates me. Police negligence will result in deaths. Station some cars along the side of the road with lights flashing, for gods sake. At least that would reduce the risk of accident.

    Commissioner Byrne, answer this please. What the **** are your people doing? Your police “service” is a ****ing disgrace.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Does this mean they’ll only be cracking down on drivers under the influence of crack? Why can’t they just strictly enforce road rules all year round? Anyone might think the RCIPS have to be incentivised at Christmas time to do their job.

  7. Anonymous says:

    ENABLING binge-drinking, alcoholism, domestic violence, and societal organ failures, shouldn’t be the missions of the RCIPS or National Drugs Council, or that of private corporate donors. That’s messed up. There is no sustained temperance or responsible messaging in Cayman, and even less enforcement outside this holiday kabuki. What is it that keeps preventing the RCIPS management from deploying meaningful ticketing officers all year round to normalize responsible driving expectations? Who is telling them to stay in their clubhouse while being paid to be on shift?!?

    • Anonymous says:

      Long time enabling n who knows who n what they offer… Hey in court right now as one example of years of same. Remember not reached 2020 yet in Cayman… Still 45 years behind.

  8. Alfred S says:

    A complete joke when some cannot and willfully refuse to deal with their own nationality’s blatant disregard for the law and seem to be targeting locals only with what could be term as extreme prejudice ! But yet we have these token talking heads and partisan political figure heads telling us BS. My oh my this place is in real bad shape eh? My old friend use to say there is NO Law and Order and simply No Order in the Law either.

  9. Anonymous says:

    How about start accepting submitted dashcam video and actually DOING SOMETHING based upon the incontrovertible evidence of incompetent/dangerous driving behaviour!? The videos are time and date stamped, and most even include a GPS location of the offence! What more evidence do you need?

    • Anonymous says:

      The driver’s details. Dashcams are great, but they usually don’t give a clear image of the driver.

      Also, plenty of vehicles here don’t have up to date ownership details. That, combined with no license plate/obscured license plate would make it even more difficult.

      A dashcam video would still need an accompanying statement. Then watch, as people can’t be bothered to give said statement, or retract it later on.

      All police vehicles with dashcams. That should be compulsory though!

      • Anonymous says:

        Idiots downvoting this. Try going to court with no clear idea of the driver, let’s see how well that will go toward a conviction.

        • Anonymous says:

          Then lobby hard to change the laws and procedures so that clear evidence can result in a conviction! Other western countries do it while remaining fully human rights compliant. The fact that the police sit back and shrug (that is what they are doing) is disgusting. We want people who break our laws to be prosecuted for it – consistently and effectively. Even when it is hard. Same goes for the lack of an electronic fining and ticketing system. The police could be lobbying hard for one. Instead ….crickets. Their systems are stuck in 1938 – except in 1938 you could get a police clearance certificate in a day!

  10. Anonymous says:

    Could they investigate the owner of XXXXX a White Toyota Corolla. Check if the person actually has a real drivers license or whether they were drunk at 7.36am yesterday on the sea road between Scotiabank and Walkers Road. Worse driving possibly witnessed here (which takes some doing) couldn’t drive the vehicle in a straight line. Maybe check if they have an inner ear infection, that could cause it.

  11. anon says:

    How about (for the first time), ticketing motorists who run red lights at traffic junctions.

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