PPM: Brazen robberies must be stopped
(CNS) UPDATED WITH POLICE REPORT 4:15pm: The RCIPS has now confirmed that there were two attempted armed robberies and one armed robbery on Thursday night. While there has still been no comment so far from the PACT Government, the opposition has released a statement about the current spike in this type of crime, in addition to their comments about crime in general released yesterday.
The police said the first attempted robbery happened shortly after 8:45pm at a restaurant in the Birch Tree Hill area, West Bay, which CNS understands was Domino’s Pizza. When the officers arrived at the scene, they were told that a man had tried to enter the restaurant through the main entrance door, but he was challenged by a staff member and a confrontation ensued. The suspect brandished what appeared to be a weapon concealed in a cloth, then fled the location on foot towards the rear of the property.
The suspect was about 5’7″, of brown complexion, and wearing black shoes, a black cap and a black hoodie with gloves on his hands. No physical injuries were reported.
Then shortly before 9:30pm the same night, there was an armed robbery at the McRuss convenience store on Eastern Avenue, George Town. Two men entered the store, both armed with handguns. One of them demanded money from a staff member and attempted to open a safe but was unsuccessful. The second man demanded money from the cashier. After the cash was handed over, both men made their escape in a blue Jeep Liberty that was parked outside the store.
The first man was described as about 5’5″, of brown complexion and wearing black shoes, black shorts, a black hoodie and a black mask. The second man was described as tall and of slim build, with a black complexion and wearing a hooded jacket with black pants and shoes, and a mask.
The third incident — the second unsuccessful robbery — also took place shortly after 9:30pm at a restaurant on North Church Street, George Town, which CNS understands was the Burger King. Police who responded were told that a blue Jeep Liberty, license plate #105476, had been parked outside the restaurant.
Two masked men, both carrying handguns, exited the vehicle and entered the restaurant but could not get into the area containing the cash registers. The men then saw a staff member outside the restaurant and demanded access. A confrontation ensued in which both offenders physically assaulted the staff member and then fled the location in the vehicle. The staff member sustained minor injuries to the head.
One of the men was about 5’7″, of heavy build and dark complexion. He was wearing a dark-coloured hoodie with a picture of Bob Marley on the back, black shorts, black shoes, a mask covering his face and gloves. The second man is described as around 5’8″, of slim build and wearing black pants, white sneakers, a white hoodie, a mask covering his face and gloves.
“Last night, our entire community was again shocked by not one but three armed robbery attempts in one night. These brazen robberies must be stopped!” Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart said in the latest statement from the PPM.
McTaggart said that he and Deputy Opposition Leader Joey Hew will be meeting with Police Commissioner Derek Byrne on Monday to discuss the community’s concerns. “We commit to doing all we can as Opposition leaders to help the RCIPS clamp down on those committing these crimes,” he said.
Noting that two of the attempts appear to have been unsuccessful, he said that “all three cases would have given any staff and customers at the business establishments a real scare. And given the number of messages myself and my colleagues in the opposition received, many people in our community were also alarmed.”
McTaggart repeated his earlier message about the urgent need to act to prevent “increasing serious crime spiral out of control”.
Nevertheless, the opposition leader expressed confidence in the CoP and RCIPS officers of all ranks, saying they are “professionals who put their lives on the line to keep us safe”. But he urged everyone in the community to assist the police in their efforts to prevent crime and arrest those culprits. “If you know something, you should say something,” he said.
The RCIPS said that officers are investigating all three incidents and are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed these incidents or who may have any information about the men involved to contact George Town CID at 949-4222. Anonymous tips can be provided directly to the RCIPS via the Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777, or via the website. Tips can also be submitted anonymously via the Cayman Crime Stoppers website.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
A crackdown on criminals is like putting the lid on a boiling pot of water. Decades of ignoring our social issues, not ensuring our young people were being prepared to function in a rapidly developing Cayman, and dependency on Immigration for expertise and labour has led us here. Locking up a few of the main characters now is not going to extinguish a flame that has been cooking for decades and is ready to blow. Sorry but I think a few sensible past politicians tried to warn us just before they were voted out.
Need Singapore law here
But that won’t happen because after all Said and done, Cayman likes crime because Money and corruption makes crime
El Salvador –
Even staunch government critics such as the trailblazing news outlet El Faro have conceded that Bukele’s crackdown – which has seen more than 64,000 people jailed and dramatically slashed the murder rate – has produced “extraordinary change” for Salvadorans, albeit at a huge cost for democracy and human rights
Democracy and human rights are abused to the detriment of law abiding citizens.
Well done Bukele.
Either get tough on crime or get taken over by it! There should be swoop raids on certain bars and hangouts on a bi weekly basis. Catching people red handed has much better results when taken to court. They are out and about with guns, driving up and down, hanging out in car parks and underground rum bars. Thsi is rocket science, when i was growing up in Cayman police was on yo azzzz! needs to be like this again, but they have given them a easy ride in cayman. Revamp the police force, replace the dead beats before we become liken to their countries fo origin.
Capital punishment for possession of unlicensed firearms.
I am sorry that a lot of people would think that this is excessive, however, this is a direct deterrent. You would seriously think twice about committing an armed robbery,if capital punishment, was mandatory!!
Consider the victims of these crimes, how are they affected? The ones doing the crime, have no regard for the innocent, why should we have regards for them?
Cayman Islands, wake up and don’t let this God forsaken evil, overcome US!! We are stronger than that, and as a Caymanian, we will overcome this evil on our beautiful islands.
Love you all, and have a wonderful night.
You know I really wish people would think before they opened their mouth. In what right thinking, democratic, civilized society would you think it was ok, reasonable, proportional, fair, justified to execute someone for gun possession? Even if there was no evidence of any other crime having been committed with the gun! That is not how it works and we would very likely be deemed a rogue, outlaw, draconian state if we tried to implement those types of laws. Please think before speaking I beg you , its comments like these that make us look so damn stupid.
Many complain about the Police but when they do catch these bastards, we need laws to keep them out of society. This is where our so called “Politicians” need to help. Hell, they reduced the original gun law from 20 years mandatory for possession without a permit, to 10 and gave judges discretion to further reduce sentencing to 7. They should have increased the penalty to 35 with extremely limited discretion (maybe one year) for judges.
So sick of excuses about not doing enough to “reintegrate” criminals! They had their chance. Build a large enough prison to take them all out of society for majority of their lives and let the good citizens live in safety and peace!
Mandatory sentences have been proven over again and again not to work…get a grip and read a book or s study…not social media.
Do we need laws to keep them out of society? No! We need laws to get rid of them! Nothing does it better than the death penalty for illegal use of deadly weapons for crime. There will be no repeat offenders! There are also no expenses for taking care of them!
Actually, the Immigration (Transition) Act (2022 Revision) works just as effectively as the death penalty in around a third of cases. It confirms that persons of poor character or conduct shall have their permissions revoked and returned to their country of origin. If only we followed it – we would see a material reduction in criminality.
True, but what about the two-thirds of cases involving Caymanians?
It Would still get rid of 1/3. We have our own homegrown problem to have it fueled further by international criminals who support the local criminals in some way, shape or form. From providing guns and drugs to accepting stolen goods as payment. The list goes on.
Fine. We deal with them, but at least the problem will be 33% smaller.
Send them with them!
Prison here is not a deterrent.
Like a boarding school really, with better food, and no lessons.
Going to Northward is no big ting , so do the crime and enjoy the time.
Now a $100,000,000 (yess one hundred Million) new prison is being planned…waste of money to stroke the ego and line pockets…stop the madness Wayne.
Now a $100,000,000 (yess one hundred Million) new prison is being planned…
Nothing is too good for our homemade gangstas!
If i have an idea then im sure the police have too. Once they go back to jail it stops right?
Bet you cant wait to catch them and drag them in front of the judge to get their 3 months hard TV and food or suspended sentences right or community service which never existed. Brilliant
If you know who they are, then report it to the police. They aren’t mind readers.
I tried that and they told the criminals where they got their info from.
Kick the can down the road! Same same from candy land leaders.
Seriously cayman wake up!!!
Paying top dollar for crap service……
Gangsteritos took over the island…Once reputation is lost …you know the rest…The Firm
Pretty hard for our criminally convicted elected officials to care surely.
Welcome to the world of one hundred thousand people and get ready for “ghost guns” next.
Yes, Mr Roy, and thirty thousand of them ( at least) from an island not very far from Cayman and many living not far from you in Bodden Town or Little Kingston as we can call it now.
Yes, and Roy helped get a lot of them status in 2003!
More police won’t make us safe. We need proper rehab for people coming out of jail and disallow that every single employer can demand a record check (of course some jobs needs mandatory checks)…the Ombudsman and her Data Protection agenda needs to weigh in on this but she seems like another lame duck.
We need more social programs and ways to help our youth… continually throwing everyone in jail won’t help one iota.
If someone has a record and can’t get a job, what else do you expect them to do other than rob in order to survive?
Need to keep more of them in jail for longer, especially the repeat offenders. There are jobs available all over that pay better than robbing Burger King every few weeks.
Why should the anyone have faith in this current Commissioner he’s inept and has proven that again and again. Further more @CNS I plead with you to ask the powers that be a question. Why did this inept Police Commissioner cancel the Workman’s Compensation insurance at a local provider leaving the officers tasked with protecting the people of this country. Officers were not covered and only had their standard medical insurance. Is the COP aware that there is a difference between medical insurance and Workman’s Compensation.
This is not hearsay it’s actual fact and the Government has done nothing. So to be fair to those Officers and they are many who do truly work hard why risk your life with this rampant crime when you are not even protected.
Crime reduction is something all the MPs should be united on. So instead of trying to make a political issue out of it, they should promise to work together to help solve the problem. Those MPs who are known to have committed crimes could start by promising to do their best not to re-offend.
I guess some read this as politicking, and perhaps it is. But The Opposition is doing its job. They complained last year about crime, and then the RCIPS cracked down in December. PPM complained again, and it took Wayne two whole days to finally respond. Tell the people what you are doing, for God’s sake. Calm their fears. At least McTaggart mentioned ideas of what could be done.
And to my amazement, even Kenneth and Sabrina responded to McTaggart before Wayne addressed the issue. I suspect that as happens, Kenny’s & Sabrina’s meeting will now be a whole of Government one.
Roy McTaggart – I don’t care what they say – I thank you for speaking out and forcing PACT to ACT.
It appears that the PACT needs all the help they can get. Thanks Roy, Thanks PPM
Why oh why are we still expecting Wayne to act urgently to say or do anything? I understand that he has to run to Ms. Julie (we know she has the gift of gab) to give him a crash course in what to do and say but he still dilly-dally before he can get around to making a statement. His heart and soul is not into us! It’s hard to fake it and it shows!
Thats a very distinctive white hoodie with blue cuffs. Someone knows who this is and is covering for them instead of reporting it.
Looking at the CCTV on CMR is the same guy did at least 2, probably all three of the robberies that night. And he also looks like the guy they calling the ‘Polite’ robber, only this time he brought along an accomplice. He needs catching and the key thrown away for sure.
He a good boy son of a voter. Him only crooking cause expat took his managerial job.
Its about time the gun laws were changed. If a person is seen with a gun, like in the CCTV or a photograph, then that person is convicted of having an illegal gun – whether the actual weapon is later recovered or not.
If the gun is not found with the person, assuming it was an imitation gun gives that person a benefit they do not deserve. The people affected by gun crime, those poor people working in these stores, they do not have the luxury of assuming it is an imitation gun when it is pointed at them.
Stop being so easy on criminals, and get them off our streets. No bail for armed robbery, held until convicted, and no credit for time served already.
These people deserve no leniency.
Allow store owners to have guns and deal with these subhuman degenerates the proper way.
I despise — but am not surprised — that the focus on these crimes by government appears to be as a political football, rather than procedural changes that might actually help us, the eternal unarmed victims.
Note to our geniuses in government and RCIPS, the situation has ALREADY spiraled out of control! Didn’t RCIPS just round up six men suspected of the recent robberies, then release them on bail?? How much you want to bet that last night’s robberies were committed by the same six ding dongs that you just let back on the street?? This is tiny little country where the majority of people obey the law! How hard is it to find, charge, detain and convict the bad guys?? Take the gloves off and start stomping these little wanna-be bad boys out!
And you PACT government….this has become a national emergency!! Get off your fat butts, make some amendments to the laws if you have to and CRACK DOWN HARD!!! Get Singaporean on these little terds!!
Obviously the police department needs help. Please get help now- no shame in asking. Please do not wait until every business has been attacked.more attacks mean the more likelihoodof something more terrible happening.
Please direct rule.
The RCIPS is directly ruled by none other than the ones you are asking to have direct rule. That simple truth might not be convenient as it pertains to your agenda, but it remains the truth nonetheless.
So why don’t police cadets here get the same training as UK cadets?
As if this never happened on their watch, now they trying to make out to be heroes zzzzzzz
Why Monday? Curfew starting tonight.
Ok Roy and Joey its time to put on your superhero capes and go out there and kick some a$$ instead of whining and pretending like you actually give a $hit. Needless to say the timing of your whining is impeccable, why not start your campaigning already. Oh but you have.
How about these two wealthy MPs make a large seed investment into a crimestoppers fund that will reward people for turning in these gutless cowards?
I suppose they are waiting for the PREMIER to make the first move on the investment to Crimestoppers fund. I am sure they will follow but it would be against protocol to make the first move. Perhaps they don’t want to embarrass the PACT? (If that is possible )
I am glad McTaggart and the PPM did complain. Is there anything he said that is wrong? The PPM gave their ideas about what should be done. And they made the Government finally talk about crime. It did not seem to be on anyone of the PACT Ministers minds at all.
As someone above said – if the RCIPS need help, provide it. As Mr McTaggart said in his message – if police need more/better CCTv then provide it. Give them the resources but hold them to account.
Give the Coast Guard and police the tools/technology to detect small boats anywhere close to our islands.
PACT stop fighting amongst yourselves and get something done.