Four groups behind robbery spike, say police
(CNS): Police believe there are at least four separate groups or individuals currently committing robberies in the Cayman Islands, and RCIPS officials told CNS that there is no evidence the people involved are from overseas or have international crime connections. There have been 30 robberies so far this year and twelve suspects have been arrested.
While the police are keeping an open mind on all of the cases, they have said there is nothing to suggest that there is any international involvement in the crime spike, despite concerns previously raised by officials that international organised crime has a hand in some of the offences being committed here, especially relating to illegal numbers.
However, this latest crime spike appears to be home-grown and police have begun rounding up a number of suspects, making eight arrests in just over a week.
On Tuesday, Premier Wayne Panton welcomed the news that the police had made more arrests of those believed to be responsible for the robberies. But he said that even though the arrests have reduced the number of offenders on the streets, the community must continue its open and honest dialogue with the RCIPS.
“As the safety of our people continues to remain paramount, and as we continue to improve plans to prevent further criminal activity and apprehend suspects, community cooperation is essential. We owe it to each other to be vigilant and speak up when we have relevant information,” the premier stated in another address to the country.
Panton stressed the government’s commitment to a zero-tolerance policy on crime and said the RCIPS has the full support of the Government. “With your help and cooperation, I am confident that we will continue to have a high degree of success in bringing perpetrators of crimes to justice. As has been said before, and I will reiterate here: let us ensure our Islands remain a peaceful, crime-free environment,” he added.
Yesterday, Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart met with Police Commissioner Derek Byrne, who assured him that the police are disrupting those committing the robberies, employing a dedicated task force and policing high-risk areas, as McTaggart had asked for last week.
In a statement issued Tuesday McTaggart, who criticised the government last week for its silence on the escalating crime, said, “It was good to finally hear from Premier Panton late Friday evening as he sought to calm public concerns regarding escalating serious crimes and confirm his government’s zero tolerance policy against crime. I trust that the premier will continue to monitor events in the coming weeks.”
Nevertheless, McTaggart also called on the government to consider some longer-term solutions, such as supporting individuals leaving prison with employment and housing, access to mental health care and addiction support services.
“We should focus on preventative measures to divert young people from gangs and criminal activities,” McTaggart stated. “All of these are directly within the purview of the government, and the premier must ensure that he includes sufficient resources in the coming budget… as well as more
funding to improve our CCTV capabilities and our ability to detect boats arriving with illegal drugs, guns and people.”
The opposition leader also said that the public must do their part as well. “If you know something, it is crucially important that you say something,” he said. “Now is the time to act if we are not to let the problem of increasing serious crime spiral out of control,” McTaggart added.
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Are these criminal elements “groups”, or are they “gangs”?
Please don’t tell me the police are dodging behind the same semantics of the now infamous Minister when he was asked the question as to whether “gangs”existed in the public school system during the 1990’s.
The evasiveness of the police reinforces the position expressed in my poem “Trouble in the Streets “.
These people are dragging cayman to the dogs i swear
Yet they give us no details to know if we saw something.
Ah, yes CaymanKind at its best! Can’t blame those dirty foreigners this time!
Mass status grant recipient spawn.
This is the typical CIG spin that we have been fed since the days of Truman and his “there are no gangs” bs.
For some reason, CIG always thinks it reflects well on law enforcement to blame crime sprees on a handful of known miscreants.
Well if they know the persons responsible, why not put them out of business?
RCIPS ALWAYS know who the crims are but never arrest them?!! Wonder if they are colleagues?? Just saying!!
It’s not what you know, it’s what you can prove.
I ‘know’ who stole my bike in April but I can’t prove it. So he wasn’t arrested.
If you know who took it, go get it back. Want something done right? Do it yourself
They’ve made 8 arrests..
…”12 suspects arrested”. What RCIPS wont say is that 11 suspects have been released and one remaining suspect has not been charged!! Last week RCIPCS promptly “arrested” a suspect of the McRuss armed robbery, only to release him as he was not the guy!
International organized crime is 100% hosted by domestic Caymanian crime leaders, tolerated by RCIPS, DPP, judiciary, and complicit/bought corrupt politicians. There are no ACC investigations, and no arrests of any upper hierarchy untouchables. Just the lower rank and file minions that cycle in and out of Northward. Pirates of the Caribbean.
Unna seem to always know who the criminals are, yet they are never arrested. Due to this, it appears to many as though you are either completely incompetent, or directly involved in the crime. Which is it?
(Spoiler alert: it’s the latter of the two, as has been proven time and time again. Threatening witnesses, using their access to disseminate private citizen information, providing details to criminals of anyone who dares inform on them, not breathalyzing that jackass Jon Jon, etc etc etc.)
You forgot all the coke going missing from the evidence locker.
The criminal’s name is BuJoo, aka “Blacks”. Nobody knows his real name and he has no known address or place of work, but people always seem to pick him up hitch-hiking, then he immediately commits a crime whilst in their car. If the police take an unmarked police car out they can pick him up any night of the week on the side of the road somewhere between Bodden Town and Prospect.
He works in construction. C’mon, everyone knows that about Blacks.
It has been proven in several movies and cartoons that the use of a feather gently rubbed on the bottom of the arrested individuals feet is a very effective tool of having them confess n behoove to de police who the utter culprits are. no one lasts longer than 5 minutes specially if there’s a KFC reward on da utter end of the table. carrot and stick tactics indeed.
These idiots are your subsistence robber type.
Low risk, low yield, repeat offenses needed to keep a few pennies in the jar. These are your idlers, who choose not to work, but to risk prison for such paltry sums that they could legitimately earn the equivalent in a few days.
Could maths teachers at least show them how the numbers don’t stack up?!?
I’m quite sure they dropped out long before they learned math…
Tell me they’ve at least caught the fat one!
Do a stakeout at Burger Shack, and you’ll soon catch that salad dodger!
How hard is it to put pressure on the twelve lug nuts to get to finger the others? Come on RCIPS, do unna damn jobs.
“community must continue its open and honest dialogue with the RCIPS.”
Nope. Not until the Premier openly and honestly tells the community why John John was not breathalyzed.
Your move Wayne.
alot of theft goes unreported because people can’t bother to deal with the police. imagine that, people see the police as bigger inconvenience to their life than criminals.