Cops place ‘static units’ at nightclub hot spots

| 04/04/2022 | 28 Comments
Cayman News Service
The Strand plaza car park

(CNS): With rising crime surrounding the nighttime economy, the RCIPS is posting ‘static units’ or patrol cars outside certain bars and clubs that are seen as hot spots for violence, including shootings and knife fights. Police statistics show that last year 25% of serious violent crime, including two murders and six attempted killings, were inside or close to late-night bars and clubs.

The RCIPS has met with the Department of Commerce and Investment, the Liquor Licensing Board and licensees to improve security and reduce crime at liquor licensed premises.

Speaking at the press briefing last week in which the RCIPS released the latest crime statistics, Deputy Commissioner Kurt Walton said that senior police officers have been meeting with bar managers and owners as well as security companies, and had recently inspected all the licensed premises to ensure compliance with the law and develop strategies, such as better lighting, well placed CCTV and ‘business watch’ groups to help fight the crime.

As a result of the review, four licensed premises were singled out for non-compliance with the Music and Dance Law, which prohibits bars from serving alcohol past midnight on Sunday morning. Walton said they were now facing prosecution.

Locations such as The Strand plaza’s entertainment complexes, which house several late-night bars and a nightclub, have been the scene of numerous shootings and stabbings over the last year. This location is one of the places where there is now a permanent police presence at night on weekends.

“We’ve got officers now posted outside of The Strand on the weekends, and that’s going to continue for the foreseeable future,” Walton said, noting that solving the crime at hot spots was a combination of enforcement and raising awareness among business owners.


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Category: Crime, Police

Comments (28)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Still none at Kellys or Libertys??

  2. Anonymous says:

    all good things are expected with the PACT GOVERMENT!!!!!

  3. Anonymous says:

    Hope they’re not just cardboard cutout figures of cops and plywood effigies of cruisers.

    • Anonymous says:

      What’s the difference in crime detection rate ? Well, the cardboard cut outs cost a lot less and the Lynwood cruisers don’t costs as much to repair when they have accidents.

  4. Anonymous says:

    People have been begging for this for years. I’m sure someone will get an award for this ‘new’ idea

  5. Anonymous says:

    Name the 4 bars please

    • Anonymous says:

      Have a guess.

    • Anonymous says:

      Two separate issues – non compliance with music and dancing (4 bars) and police presence at knifing and shooting hot spots ( unspecified number which may include the licensing breaches). Surprised it’s only 4 bars for the first category – as for the second a trawl through the press would show you Vcs, Everglo, Cottonwood, Lillies

    • Noname says:

      Bars:
      Power Supply
      Vic’s
      Everglow
      Kellie’s

      Clubs:
      Lillie’s
      Cotton Club

      I sincerely wish that nightlife on our tiny rock would be more innocent and carefree but this belongs now to a long foregone past and that unfortunate trend started mid 2010’s (roughly when drink spiking started to be a “thing” in cayman) .

      I am not sure more police presence will solve the issue (it might just move the incident scene to other locations (though my mind would struggle to find vic’s a respectable and respectful place EVER!)

  6. Anonymous says:

    Better late than never. I hope they will use teams and have some means of defense, tasers at least. Could also check papers and get some deportations going. Go get’em.

  7. Anonymous says:

    How long and how many shootings and stabbing a did it take to work that one out?

  8. Anonymous says:

    Good

  9. Anonymous says:

    Why they haven’t tried this until now is mind blowing…SMH

  10. Anonymous says:

    The various owners of buildings that house these establishments need to be MADE to properly light up their parking areas. Bright LED lighting is not that expensive to install and quite inexpensive to run.
    Patrons simply stay away from establishments that do not provide for your safety.
    The lack of customers will quickly convince all involved.

  11. JTB says:

    Some evidence-quality CCTV might help, too

  12. Anonymous says:

    These businesses should be taxed to fund police presence. Absolutely no good can come from establishments that are open until the early hours serving alcohol. The evidence is there in history. I would rather see them shut down altogether.

    • Anonymous says:

      Casa, The Lodge and Lillies are paying for the police presence as I’m told by one of the owners of Casa.

  13. Anonymous says:

    And will the police actually arrest people who commit crimes in front of them, or not? Too much freaking slackness for much too long. “Acceptable standards” of behavior in this jewel of the Caribbean have been permitted to drop way way too low. Time for a little Singapore around here! We should be recruiting police from there!

    • Anonymous says:

      When MacBeater set the precedent standard for acceptable behaviour there is no hope for rooting out our violence problem.

  14. Anonymous says:

    How about the RCIP do their job and have regular patrols instead of passing the buck

  15. Anonymous says:

    And one at Tropical Plaza on Smith Road please. Never know when someone is likely to be around there with a gun apparently.

    https://caymannewsservice.com/2022/03/hung-jury-means-second-trial-for-bar-owner/

  16. Anonymous says:

    why do these places accept local ghetto clienteille?

  17. watcher says:

    A good start. Now, how about driving around all the clubs, bars and pubs at closing to move the late nighters out of the parking lots and on their way? We used to do this, and it was very effective.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Common sense idea from RCIPS. Good job!

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