Crime dips 12% due to COVID-19 lockdown

| 12/05/2021 | 32 Comments
Cayman News Service
Police Commissioner Derek Byrne at the RCIPS press conference held Wednesday

(CNS): Crime in 2020 appears to have declined by 12.8%, according to the RCIPS’ annual statistics. But the true crime picture has been distorted, given that the Cayman Islands endured a period of complete and then partial lockdown during the second and third quarter of the year. Police at that time were able to stop and arrest anyone during the curfew periods, all officers even detectives were on uniform patrol, most people were home all the time and businesses were closed, limiting the opportunity for any crime.

But as soon as lockdown was over, crime increased again. Even before that the police were dealing with the additional offences created by the lockdown, which added to regular crime and pushed up the numbers.

Police Commissioner Derek Byrne said the crime situation was “stable” and the Cayman Islands remained one of the safest places to live and work in the world.

Speaking at a press conference to reveal the figures, Byrne disputed the idea that in real terms, because of the distortion created by COVID-19, crime had really increased. However, there was a spike in violent crime after lockdown, so much so that the RCIPS set up “Operation Blade Runner”, a specific focus on the surge in violent knife crime that was concentrated around late night bars and clubs.

The yearly average for crimes per week was 68, excluding crimes relating to the breach of COVID-19 laws, but during the first quarter 74 crimes were recorded on average per week.

During 2020 the RCIPS Firearms Unit responded to 1,126 Incidents, carried out 132 planned operations, investigations or warrant arrests and were involved in a further 278 arrests.

See the full crime statistics report in the CNS Library.

Watch the press conference below:


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Category: Crime, Police

Comments (32)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    12%. W O W!!!

  2. Anon. says:

    I see quite a few comments here bashing local police, the government, Caymanians, foreigners. As usual. Do people even stop to think about how fortunate they are to live here? We don’t have to fear for our lives just going about our daily business here. We’re don’t have to fear being shot at the supermarket, or at the cinema, or at our chosen place of worship, or at work, or at school. The crime that does happen here are crimes of opportunity for the most part, and when there is a violent crime here the parties know each other and the act is not random and the general public have no reason to be fearful that it might happen to them. We can walk around most places on island at night and not be fearful. We don’t have pickpockets or purse snatchers. We don’t have random acts of violence to fear here at all. I know many reading this will say, well what about this or that incident. But if we’re honest with ourselves, I think we can admit, we have it pretty good here.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Coincides with population being down an equal amount….

  4. Concerned says:

    Of course, to trust in crime figues managed by the agency that then claims success from them are always open to distortion.
    Especially when the IT they use can allow an investigation into a ‘crime’ take place without that record actually being recorded as a crime – it stays as a ‘non’ crime.

    Add to this the ability for RCIPS to show crime as ‘detected’ without actually charging any criminal to court much less actually convicting him and/or cautioning him. They can even show it detected through other means like a victim who doesn’t want to pursue the offence but the police ‘feel’ they would have charged otherwise.

    Then consider they have no real policy or guidance that effectively ensures victims are supported and essentially believed when they report something.

    What does all this mean? It means crime statistics presented by the police are not worthy of trust and should only be considered correct when independently audited by an agency with knowledge of crime recording.

  5. Anonymous says:

    What’s up with all the warned for prosecutions that occurred during lockdown? I don’t seem to recall hearing any news of the pleadings and/or court dates etc.

    • Anonymous says:

      The only reason crime was down during the lockdowns, is because the police were actually visible for a change. I have never seen so many police, in fact I didn’t know we had so many!

      Nowadays, you hardly see them anywhere. It’s like they pulled a vanishing act.

      • Anonymous says:

        ” all officers even detectives were on uniform patrol,”

        Because not every officer works the beat in uniform

  6. Anonymous says:

    Waiting for the day when headlines read: Cayman’s Reduction In Crime Is Due To:

    1. The hard work of the RCIPS to solve crimes leading to the increase in prosecution of the criminals;

    2. Stiffer penalties now on Law Books;

    3. The enforcement of the stiff penalties now on the law books;

    4. Civilians are increasingly securing their properties especially when they leave them unattended;

    5. Unemployment is is a thing of the past;
    8
    6. Cayman decriminalizes personal use and consumption of ganja;

    7. Cayman’s state of the art transportation system is a direct result of the reduction in people driving drunk, in drunk driving accidents and arrests;

    8. Cayman’s Minimum Wage is now $15.00;

    9. Increase in salaries across the board (EXCEPT POLITICIANS) now matches Cost of Living realty; and

    10. Cayman residents have learned to live within their means and thus we see fewer white-collar crimes.

  7. Anonymous says:

    people need to realise some lockdown measure including curfews and beach bans were an easy way of police having to do less work.
    it was not about covid and i got the stats to prove it.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Our freedom level drastically dropped during that time too.

    • Anonymous says:

      But you are alive to enjoy and complain.

      • Anonymous says:

        Considering death from Covid is well below 1% I am sure I would still be here.

        • Anonymous says:

          Case mortality rate is between 1% and 3% now, depending on where you are in the world, with an average around 2%. However, many countries were experiencing case mortality rates over 6% – with Spain, Italy and Sweden over 10% and the average over 7% – during our lockdown last year. I wouldn’t be so sure you’d still be her if you’d have had Covid last year at this time.

      • Anonymous says:

        its not a complaint…but personal freedoms should never be surrendered due to the wants of a police commisioner…

  9. Anonymous says:

    Imagine what the real numbers are if the police actually did their job. I only see cops in the same place at the same time trying to catch speeders. For instance there’s a cop in a car every day in front of Red bay primary, the 15 mph speed light doesn’t blink in the morning and I don’t think they ever noticed that it’s not working. Or the fact that you could drive for 15 minutes in your car and see no less than 6 offenses but not one police officer doing any damn thing.

    • Anonymous says:

      Could it be that the offenses don’t take place when a police car is visible to everyone?

      The difference between driving your personal vehicle and driving a police car is night and day in terms of the behavior of other drivers.

      That’s why more unmarked traffic vehicles should be deployed.

      • Anonymous says:

        I agree and upvoted you but I’m sure you’ve seen dangerous driving and a cop in the same space before but the cop just ignored.

      • Anonymous says:

        That’s why we should have camera’s and automatic ticketing for basic traffic offences.

    • Anonymous says:

      You should watch what happens at that location the minute a cop is not there. Taxi drivers and others jump the traffic queue using the center right turn lane.

  10. Anonymous says:

    imagine how low it would go if they didn’t have to arrest weed smokers

  11. Eleven 47 says:

    Crime dipped sir because certain people had to go home and we hope you don’t let their @$$ back in here and we keep it that way! Deport all criminals that need to be deported just like the UK is doing now!

    • Anonymous says:

      Oh I wondered how long it would be until you said that it’s not Caymanians who are criminals, it’s all those expats we let in here with the clean police record.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes, one of these jackasses said the decrease coincides with the population decrease. So it was all those clean criminal record expats committing crimes and getting away with. The white collar ones and the tourism industry folks. Oh my, what’s next?

  12. Anonymous says:

    Great.

    Maybe if we put everyone in jail, we can cut crime down by 100%

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