Seven shot as gunman opens fire at WB football game
(CNS): At least seven people were shot on Sunday night when a gunman opened fire at the Ed Bush Stadium in West Bay during a football match, in a shocking escalation of the troubling gun violence. Police said that all of the injured people arrived at the hospital in private cars. All were said to have serious injuries but were in stable conditions late last night. More than a dozen shots rang out at halftime during a premier league game between Elite and Academy Sports Clubs, CNS understands.
The shooting occurred shortly after 9pm on Sunday, 25 February, from the area near the changing rooms into the stands. Few official details have been confirmed at this time, but CNS understands from other sources that adults and children watching the game ran in panic as the gunman shot at the crowd. Some of the injured were shot several times.
Police cordoned off the scene while the firearms response team was dispatched to patrol the area and the police helicopter was deployed. But it appears that, as police waited to make the scene safe for emergency medical personnel, it was the players who helped the victims in the immediate wake of the shooting with on-the-spot medical care until medics were able to get to the many victims.
André Ebanks, who represents the constituency of West Bay South, posted on social media in the wake of the shooting, asking everyone to remain calm, to be in prayer for the Cayman Islands, and to share any information they may have with the RCIPS.
At around midnight, police stated that no arrests had been made and an investigation was now active as they appealed for information from the public.
Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward and provide information by calling 911 or the West Bay Police Station 949-3999.
Anonymous tips can be provided to the RCIPS Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777, the website, or to caymancrimestoppers.com.
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I don’t understand…guns are illegal in Cayman. What’s up with these criminals not obeying the law and having guns?
Emboldened by lack of serious law enforcement?
The chickens are coming home to roost. Keep denying young Caymanian Men opportunities and see how much worse it gets.
If you think this violence is justified in any way, you are part of the problem.
Any young Caymanian men who agree with you haven’t truly worked a day in their lives, and blame everyone else but themselves for their woes.
I don’t think young Caymanian men OR women think like you do. I think you are trying to justify bad actors that are close to you. Young Caymanian men, women, or young Jamaican men or women or Canadians or anything else choose their path — They are hard-working, law-abiding or they are not, and there is never anyone to blame but the person riding in your own shoes.
You are part of the problem. Stop blaming the wrong people!
They are not men. They are pieces of excrement who deserve nothing but total contempt.
blame and rage threats keep you stuck in your own shit.
Firstly you do a huge disservice to the majority of people from the exact same backgrounds who do not choose to be violent losers. Secondly, I can’t think of another country with any better opportunities for anyone who wants to work. Lastly, stop making excuses for these people.
Pathetic. People like you are part of the problem. Denied opportunity! What planet are you on?
My guy floating down the river of denial
@ WBW Czar. You are an idiot and you are part of the problem. Young Caymanians have plenty of opportunities here. You just have to make the effort to take advantage of those opportunities. We’re a tiny dot in the world, yet we have the top accounting firms in the world right here, plenty of opportunities in the legal field, corporate services, health care, hospitality, tourism. All booming industries right here in your country. Go over to Haiti and see what opportunities young Haitians have. You have it all right here but you have to educate yourself and learn how to communicate properly and carry yourself well and pull up your damn pants. Those are the things that you have to do to take advantage of the opportunities in your own country. Rather than smoking weed and bitching, why don’t you pull up your damn pants, stop trying to emulate cultures that aren’t your own, educate your damn self in something and improve your own circumstances.
I wonder if the assailant fled in one of the numerous vehicles that we all see on the road with ZERO number plates on?
Flashing up a few roadblocks isn’t going to work. With instant messaging and various group hats, criminals know where they are in an instant. Put in roadblocks that are semi-permanent. Allow police to filter cars through as they wish. Anything suspicious at all, stop that vehicle. Don’t let drunks, the uninsured, the unlicensed, the drug deliveries, the stolen goods, the stolen vehicles etc just have free reign.
Agree. In many parts of Europe, people are pulled over and ticketed for all infractions. It’s what the police do. Following too close? Ticket. Speeding anywhere? citation. blasting through the town with your doors bulging from the force of your speakers? citation. Of course, here, we don’t have an accepted decibel level notated. Town and Communities Law references an “excessive decibel level”, but fails to identify what that standard is. Would be a simple matter to clone UK standards. That’s if we want to remain a peaceful, gentle, mostly quiet place where tourists want to travel.
If we don’t, well, then we’ll let ‘er buck I guess.
Cayman doesn’t need a police state go back to UK if you want uk standards.
This is about a shooting and you want to complain about loud speakers?
To many people come to cayman yeah we should make cayman like somewhere else. No go back to that place, leave cayman alone.
I’m not from the UK bud. We’re not talking about a police state, we’re talking about symptoms of the same disease that is fostering crime here in Cayman. You want me to name it? It is acceptance –step by step — of transgressions which none of us permitted years ago. We had laws that were enforced, but beyond that, we had standards of conduct in public, and that has gone to the wayside.
Years ago, if somebody was driving down the road thumping, they would be pulled over and warned. When bars closed, the police would push people out of the parking lot. No after-party. That was the standard. We can either hold that standard, which also supports tourism safety, or we can abandon it and become just as bloody dangerous as everywhere else in the Caribbean.
Still want to leave Cayman alone? Really?
Cool, we’ll stick to the shootings of random bystanders, shall we? Enjoy the cesspit.
Just goes to show, Gun Laws do not work… Bad guys will always get guns
Amercanized propaganda. Utter bullshit.
I guess those weren’t guns those gang members had, must have been firecrackers…
We need a no nonsense leader like Nayib Bukele! What he has done in El Salvador is amazing. If it can be done there, we should be able to clean this small island up over a long weekend.
Cancel Juju’s 100 million school project and build a special prison for these scumbags. Throw away the key once they’re all locked up!
Ahh, no.
Unless you want an authoritarian ruler/laws?
Because that’s what you’ll soon get with Nayib Bukele, who asked for and ran for re-election, violating the El Salvador’s constitution. On Feb 4th he was elected for a second term as president of El Salvador.
“El Salvador court rules presidents can serve two consecutive terms.”
While it was not an unprecedented move by a sitting president, the last incumbent president of El Salvador to get re-elected, wanting to serve another 4 years was in 1944! Read up on how that turned to violence, because violence begets violence.
Feels like you’ve read this playbook before? Check Donald Trump’s thinking on same, why he thinks one should be able to serve more than 8 years as President of the United States.
No wonder Nayib Bukele was a key speaker recently at CPAC…be worried, Salvadorans, be very worried and extra cautious of Faux Populism.
* How much would you bet President Bukele will want to remain as president and will make moves in approximately 2 to 3 years trying to solidify a ‘president for life’ law.
You come back in 3 years, let’s debate, see where we’re at with your hero, Nayib Bukele. I’ve set a reminder in my calendar and copied your comment link.
* “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” —H. L. Mencken
Cancel JuJu’s and Kenny B’s projects and invest in Cayman through Driving Test, RCIPS, WORC and Educational system.
Every victim from the incident should be blaming CIG and the MLAs.
Cancel JuJu and Kenny.
The prison should be a warehouse shed with cages for these animals.
Don’t talk to me about rehabilitation , it only makes “counsellors” feel better and doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to the savages.
CNS: What We Can Learn From Norway’s Prison System: Rehabilitation & Recidivism
Apparently there is a government press conference today at 3PM. 10 to 1 odds that it will be nothing but rambling platitudes.
No arrest yet either! This isn’t NYC! It’s a tiny island and the police should have been out in force beginning last night!
10 to 1, that’s very generous. Evens is as good as I’ll go.
And, 12:26, appeals for everyone to turn to God and beg him to help blah blah
Yep you are right. What puzzles me is more than 7 shots fired, multiple shell casings found in pasture yet they don’t say how many or whether the bullets were the same. No mention of door to door enquiries and ring/eufy doorbell footage. They assume the person(s) were not at the game. Have they stopped to think of the possibility that someone might have left the ground at half time and come back to do this? The response from RCIPS was shockingly inadequate. Left stunned with so many questions.
amd that’s all.it was gibberish…crime has been on the increase for years, how can you be shocked this happened. it is going to get worse. The governor sounds like a complete moron and I am at a loss of words on juju
How many violent criminals are on streets and free to commit more violent crimes because they were given early release from the Northward Hotel due to overcrowding? It is not the full solution but at least a new prison would mean fewer violent criminals on our streets now.
One is one too many.
I would wager that the perpetrator is ‘known to the police’ and probably out on bail or license in relation to previous firearms/violent offenses.
where are these expensive cameras we are paying for to a so called security company
Cayman used to pride itself on being unique in the Caribbean and did not seek to align itself with the rest of the islands. If so, we would have also gone independent when Jamaica did. The influences from the other parts of the Caribbean are now rampant especially from Jamaica – a jurisdiction the US State Department recommends US citizens avoid. While this is going on, government officials are trying to have us more entwined with our neighboring islands that are generally dangerous, corrupt and financially unsound. I feel we will not avoid, but are simply 10 years, becoming what these other places are like and it is heartbreaking.
Please stop the discrimination against other nationalities. We have had a shooting here and we need to figure out how to make our communities safer and reduce violent crime, not blame other nationalities. Part of the reason we can’t solve this type of problem is because we don’t take responsibility – we always look first to point to others for the problems we are in.
Gun violence begets gun violence.
We must be aggressive in putting an end to it right now, less we become like America!
There will likely be retribution for this shooting and who knows when or where it will be.
This is why you privatise the prisons! I’ve been saying this for years on these very message boards. The prison system here is a joke. These animals are being treated WAY too softly and released way too soon! We need to do what Nayib Bukele has done with El Salvador’s prison system. They were the most dangerous country in the world before and now they are one of the safest in all the Americas. We must act NOW before we lose everything.
yeah because privatizing prisons has kept the UK and American prison numbers down hasn’t it… when you jail 1% of the population… it’s almost guaranteed that the murder rate will go down… but the problem is that many many many people have been jailed when they are innocent. You don’t deter criminals by locking up the wrong people.
Jamaica is the murder capital of the world with Honduras close behind, with 5 to 6 eastern Caribbean countries trailing closely.
Ban Jamaican, Honduran, and Philippine workers from coming to Cayman and higher from the Middle East. It will all go away.
Yes I agree. Why so much thumbs downs? Those are high risk countries and should be banned.
*many
The end to the violence starts and ends with education.
What if the shooter is Caymanian?
Not everyone is racist
You are insane, and insanely racist. I have no doubt that the persons involved in all of these crimes, and most of the crimes on the island, are all ‘proud’ Caymanians.
These problems will not be solved while everyone tries to blame the expats and cannot face the uncomfortable truth.
what you fail to understand is that no matter where you ‘higher’ people from, if you intentionally seek out the poorest group to pay them slave wages, you will inherit some poor behaviors as well. p.s. hordes of philipinos are working in the middle eats.
I haven’t seen one description where the perpetrator was described as being Filipino.
Who is suggesting that the Filipinos and Hondurans are to blame here?
Uninformed racists
We are allowing this to happen at every level. Failure to enforce immigration policy and deport those without work. Failure to enforce the basic norms of society, just look at Public Beach. The criminals and gangsters know that CIG does not have to will to crackdown so they just go on doing what they do and we pay the price.
The great irony is that we were all up in arms a few days ago to be ranked below Jamaica in safety, well look at it now.
If it had been put under control when the signs were there in the late 90s we would not be in this problem. remember we have no gangs nor crime.
This level of serious gun crime and the vile attack on the general public is unprecedented. Many innocent people and children were present watching a football game. Sadly, this incident speaks directly to where we are currently as a country.
Unless robust measures and a comprehensive plan is rolled out immediately by the relevant agencies responsible for our safety and security…the situation will get worse.
The time has come for a “Zero Tolerance” approach by the Cayman Islands Government and those responsible for safety and security matters concerning to all gun related crimes and heinous actions by those criminally minded persons with no care and concern for public safety.
Legislation should be revised accordingly with mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines of 25 years for any/all gun related activities i.e. unlawful possession of any firearms and bullets.
Prayers and platitudes will not be enough. The RCIPS needs to be empowered and if necessary assisted by specialists from outside the jurisdiction to do whatever it takes to disrupt and smash the ring of drugs and guns imported into Cayman. Time to take off the gloves, not just for 2 weeks but for a minimum 6-12 months etc.
Law abiding citizens will not object to a consistent show of force if they see results and the criminal activity decreases. Especially the heinous crimes that will disrupt our quality of life concerns, businesses and negatively impact the reputation of the Cayman Islands.
The system must be held accountable as over $40M is budgeted for policing and security services per annum. Are those resources being deploying appropriately?
Also, there is zero comfort in the RCIPS publicly stating that they are aware of the serious criminal element, which they have stated consists of 20-30 known persons driving the serious crime business in the country. Do something about it now. MPs will be compelled to play their part by voting for additional resources and amending legislation to support law and order in our country. If any fail to comprehend the serious nature of these matters and their responsibilities, vote them out at the polls in 2025 General Elections.
We all have to be committed to wanting the best version of Cayman for ALL Caymanians and those that choose to live and work here.
Last night was a football match. Next time it could be our homes, neighborhoods, our kids and loved ones negatively impacted.
This is a call for UNITY amongst ALL living in Cayman.
Best regards,
Johann Moxam
Johann, that’s all wishful thinking. We can’t do anything significant about crime because to take drastic action would be to move out of step with the UK in areas like Human Rights, Sentencing and the like. We don’t like to admit it but our position as a BOT severely curtails what we are going to be able to do in crime before people say their Human Rights are being violated. It’s not just a problem of policing or not being tough on crime. It’s a case of the reason policing falls under the Governor directly is partly that we as a BOT can’t move out of step with the UK on the actions we take to address crime. The situation is even worse over there and we are by extension following suit
You know as well as anyone that before Caymanians will cooperate, the governor needs to fix the corrupt JDF FKA RCIPS.
Well said Johan
Typical politician… Look for the easy answer.
Can you explain how increased sentences would have helped here? Presumably you don’t believe that 10 years is a deterrent… Whoever fired those shots must have considered the chance he could kill someone and then he would have got a life sentence yet did it anyway… if a life sentence is not a big enough deterrent then 25 years is not either.
Obviously, if he did not consider he might kill someone, i probably doesn’t pay any attention to sentences… so therefore it is not a deterrent.
The truth is that there is no easy answer… You can lock people up for as long as you want and still people commit crimes..
i suspect that better policing, consideration of removing the regulations which say you cannot rely upon intercept evidence and greater support to the police will help matters more than a knee jerk reaction of locking people up…
And the human rights defence is not true either… (save for the intercept point)… Cayman already has double the sentence for possession of a gun than the UK does and that is not unlawful.
The time has come for zero tolerance to criminals in Parliament too yet they have the safest seats! What kind of society elects convicted woman beaters and coke dealers?
110% 4:52, if our leaders get away with it of course others will justify their own actions. It all starts from the top
What’s the point for arrest? If caught the perp will go through a lengthy and expensive court case and will probably get off due to a technicality or the color of skin or background. And if they do get sent to prison, the perp will probably serve 1/3 of sentence and be back out doing the same thing over again. Before anymore projects begins, lets build a bigger prison to keep these lifers in prison for life!!!
the shooters mots likely from east end, go by duckpond in a evening and you will get all the info you need. most drug boats leave from duckpond and dealers live in newlands. take my word for it, guns stashed in yards and outer sheds. my area is infested by these people unfortunately, their wn families know what they are doing but don’t say anything because they love to keep up appearances, nuff of them live in Wayne Panton area and he know it too. Its terrible living in my hood but i cant afford to sell up and buy in a better area.
@11:00 There is even a road in Bodden Town named after a convicted drug smuggler. That’s how crazy we become.
Which one?
What we need are some more billboards, asking them nicely to please stop.
Thoughts and prayers too of course.
It’s very very important that anyone who knows who did this reports them to RCIPS. This type of behaviour is so far beyond the pale that it cannot be tolerated..
And the reaction from our useless politicians is…… silence.
Thugs who are in prison commit fewer firearms offenses than those on our streets. Why then does our revolving door criminal justice system insist on releasing them as quickly as possible?
When we elect politicians who see the importation of garrison politics and culture as their key to personal prosperity this is what we get.
They don’t impose the laws of the land on the politicians – look at the Emperor of West Bay, look at down town George Town……the developers getting away, repeatedly, with destroying the environment …also the disgrace/shables that is Public Beach with higglers allowed to harass and take over….and then granfathered in????
It is only going to get worse – building $10.m dollar condos ala Lacovia is doing nothing to solve our probloems only to give more cash to inadequate politicians to dole out more NAU to baby mothers and status holders who can’t afford to live here… coupled with the break down in the family…
…this was NEVER Cayman ….what does Cayman expect???
There are no principles left – only principals….who call “the shots”.
Saunders Seymour Mac and Kenny, you must be so proud of your scum supporters.
Why haven’t you ever spoken up against the violence drugs and gun crimes being perpetrated by your people..?
Your silence speaks of indifference and complicity just to get votes.
catching perps should not be a problem with all of our cctv sytems….oopps…sorry i forgot we got scammed on that and most don’t work….
welcome to wonderland
And yet the perpetrators of that scam remain in the good graces of Government. Wonderland indeed.
reflective of two things:
an aloof, unelected, garbage government where mla’s are only concerned about their own pay-check.
lazy, over-paid, over-staffed, underperforming rcips who rightly have no respect from the public.
Blaming everyone but the shooter. You are the worst kind of person.
Come on community. See something, say something!
Tell us who was not at home between 8-10pm last night that you know has firearms in their/your homes.
Tell us who is acting differently this morning, perhaps they’re more; withdrawn, secretive, paranoid, isolated, irrationally acting than usual?
Tell us who brags about this sh*t in the coming days.
See posts on IG of young people brandishing guns? Call it in or speak to an officer that you trust.
Stop condoning slackness!!!!!
Get rid of the corruption in the RCIPS and then the community will start talking again.
Exactly!!!! They need to wipe out that whole department and hire bare English ppl. Cuz they na ramp.
If anyone is really concerned about this they can contact the US based Crimestoppers number and give an anonymous tip.
You’re 100% correct. Personally I wouldn’t know who to trust to report it though.
lol, even if I did see something I wouldn’t talk the rcip. that a one way ticket to getting a bullet.
btw… i wouldn’t wait for an ambulance around here either.
shambolic on every level.
cig likely solution: ban football.
Raise import duties on footballs!
look at the US…thought and prayers are all you need in times like these……zzzzzzzzzzz
Was just a matter of time before a rragedy such as this made it’s way here.
Remember the video with the bloke using an AK47 a few months ago?
I do. I also know that the AK47 typically uses a 30 round magazine. There is absolutely NO reason anyone here should be allowed to have an assault rifle, even those with permits.
Someone knows who the shooter is. Too many witnesses.
In the meantime, mind your surroundings, because this will happen again with the amount of criminals possessing weapons that are made for killing.
And before the “good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun” people chime in, that is a failure in America.
I’m from a city of 150,000 people in the United States mid-west. We had 7 gun crimes last year and 1 murder. I would guess that 75% of homes have guns. The difference in there and cayman is we do not import crime.
Welcome to the Caribbean bobo!
There are more guns than people in America. Ridiculous.
You do not import them, but they come in via the border. Unless you have a big wall, you will be introduced to crime pretty soon…
Don’t worry we gonna make that 100k population quota even if it is to the detriment to the people and environment. Our elected present and future government needs to ensure he numbers add up on work permit fees and PRs to make their annual salary increases and Christmas parties.
I live in a county of the USA where gun violence is a non issue. Our county has one of the highest concel carry rates in the entire country. Bad guys with guns don’t live very long where I’m from. Jus sayin
CNS: If “bad guys with guns don’t live very long”, how do they die if gun violence is a non-issue? If everyone is carrying a gun, how do you define “bad guy”?
We don’t want America’s gun problems here!!!
CNS, you have deliberately obfuscated the valid point made. A “bad guy” is the one who uses their firearm to commit an offensive action whereas a “good guy” with a firearm uses that firearm strictly for defense. Your preferred model is where only the criminals are armed and that is an asinine and untenable approach, with the negative consequences becoming more and more apparent with each passing day. Your colonialist’s mindset and nanny state mentality is part of the reason why Cayman is the way it is today, and in case you have not noticed, that is not a good thing. Self defense is a human right, regardless of whether or not the English system which you are such a proponent of seeks to strip that right away from the general populace.
CNS: This is just a word salad of nonsense and anti-British slurs.
So, Meh, America doesn’t have any gun problems? Seriously? You need help bobo.
I neither said nor implied that the USA does not have a problem with gun violence. It is you who needs help with improving your basic cognitive skills bobo. Far more people are killed by gang violence than what is termed as “mass shootings”, but that reality does not fit with the MSNBCesque agenda. Point of fact is this: When a criminal with a firearm has zero to little fear that a member of the general public is armed and able to return defensive fire, then that criminal is already walking into any given situation or scenario with a sense of impunity. Far less than having a gun problem, the USA has a psycho problem. As for CNS’s response, they are more concerned with being cheerleaders for any and everything English than they are for any given truth. Par for the course. Carry on there bobo, a term which you probably do not even know the real meaning of.
CNS: You have a tendency to believe that irrational thoughts that pop into your head are somehow “facts”. Exhibit A: the silly lies about CNS. There is a lot wrong with your points but, baby steps, I’d like you to concentrate on making coherent arguments instead of just making shit up. You’re not really helping your arguments for your right to carry a lethal weapon if you go off on irrational tangents.
The fact that you reduce the whole issue to the red herring “MSNBCesque agenda” is an indication of the kind of sources you are relying on. That sentence as a whole is bizarre. For one thing, you seem to be arguing against a point that nobody has made, including the commenter you are replying to.
I think the point that you are trying to make is that if you ignore gang violence, there really isn’t that much gun crime in the USA. Also, the stock NRA/Republican talking point, gun violence is not a gun problem but a mental health problem. Yes?
The alternative scenario to your second main point is that if criminals believe that they might be shot at, they are much more likely to be trigger-happy and more people will be shot.
So, for example, the minimum wage workers in convenience stores that get robbed would be expected to get into a shootout, or just get shot if the perpetrator even thinks they are reaching for a gun. If you were correct in your thinking, there would be fewer armed robberies in the USA.
For for thought, Debunking Myths About Gun Violence
CNS, you assume that everyone carrying a gun is a ‘bad guy’. By your definition, all our armed police officers should be in prison.
CNS: Your first sentence is untrue. The second sentence comments on a fictional definition I did not make and arrives at a ludicrous conclusion through some process that has nothing to do with logic.
Implement a curfew in West Bay, put roadblocks everywhere. Bring in law enforcement from the UK, because our officers are definitely bought out and corrupt.
So only a curfew in West Bay after a shooting? What about other districts when they have murders? Damn idiot
I am so in shock. Complete shock and while we can debate who is to blame. We do need a government who will tackle this head on.
you need direct rule for 2 years.
your mla’s are poorly educated, lazy and are only interested in their pay-check.
UK cant rule themselves, they’ll be no help
🖕🏻 UK is a mess
9:47, I must reluctantly agree with you. Absolute useless MLA’s and they are only interested in their pay cheque and feeding at the public trough.
Not one of them has the guts to say anything about what occurred. So friggin lazy.
Direct rule now.
You do realise that the Governor (UK Representative) is responsible for the Police right ?
1:28, You do realize that without serious political support from our MLA’s on crime, the Governors powers are very limited.
That is the reason why direct rule is needed now.
Unfortunately that is not the government we have.
Maybe one of our Politicians will now blow the dust off the Yolande Ford Report and do something besides trying to get re-elected.
CNS: For anyone who is interested, the 2006 report by Yolande Forde, Pre-Disposing Factors to Criminality in the Cayman Islands, is in the CNS Library.
I googled Yolande Ford Report and found this
https://parliament.ky/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/12884515.pdf
They apparently voted against this believe it or not!!
That report suggests better rehabilitation efforts. That will never be accepted on island regardless how right it is.
Rehabilitation requires people who are habilitated in the first place.
Punishment is all they understand.
https://cnslibrary.com/wp-content/uploads/Pre-Disposing-Factors-to-Criminality-in-the-Cayman-Islands-Yolande-Forde-June-2006.pdf
It also discusses some fundamental experience precursors during youth for those (that at higher percentages) become criminals (to name just a few):
-low educational achievement
-learning deficiencies
-delinquency in school
-inadequate family support background
-received poor/inadequate parenting
-family breakdown – separations, divorce
-parental absence/abandonment
-criminality amongst family members
-sexual abuse
-drug abuse
and then discusses recommendations for improvement:
Reactive:
-appropriate intervention at an early age
Proactive:
-strengthening of the children and family services dept (abysmal at best)
-necessary legislative arrangements to make family/child/parenting therapy/counselling mandatory where intervention is identified.
Undoubtedly parents are the primary agents for crime prevention because they are the primary agents for socialization of their own children.
Crime is a form of behaviour, it is learned…
Parents need to do better. Simple fact. But without identifying who needs parental support and intervention (victims of inadequate parenting themselves), this socialization of crime will continue.
Parents need to do better. Simple fact.
Concerned Citizen said it right 1000% ^^^^^^^^^
Police have their hands tied by the rules of civilized law enforcement.
The criminals know that , and enjoy the freedom that gives them to commit crime.
Time for a clampdown period to allow the police special powers to move in and root out the scum from their cess pits.
Governor, bring in the Brit cops, give them guns, names and addresses , and leave them to cut out the cancer.
London is a sea of crime, Brit cops aint up to the task either. criminals operate freely in Britain for the last 5 years.
Very sadly this is true. The usual idiots will downvote you though. I don’t believe the UK police are institutionally corrupt but they are both completely overwhelmed by immigrant youth/gang crime and have their hands tied behind their backs by overzealous human rights legislation.
Bullshit. The hands are not nearly as tied as they pretend.
Oh, there hands are certainly tied, but it’s not by the law. They are “allegedly”🙄 absolutely directly involved in this crime, and it has never been more evident.
Fix the corruption in the JDF FKA RCIPS, and the public will begin to cooperate with the law again.
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” – Frederick Douglass
Thankfully we have a civilised police force…right?
It’s a slippery slope with hard-line stances as such; “special powers” to the police force — where the control over civil society and liberties & the laws protecting its citizens are suggested to be “softened” or even “suspended” just so the police force can round ’em up, perhaps some people would be OK with indiscriminately arresting suspects without proper evidence/warrants, is that the “Time for a clampdown period to allow the police special powers to move in and root out the scum from their cess pits.” part you fantasise about?
That won’t solve anything in the long-term.
You start with minimum wages increase, lift the most poor & low wages population up, you start with educational programs on raising children, like a basics how-to, educating people to wait until they are sure they want a child, can afford a child, etc. You start with Proper schooling curriculums to cover all skill sets, I would also add classes for parents to up/further their own educational experience & training, etc.
The big torn to address is Mental Health, as when it’s mixed in with lacking skills as a parent, improper teaching methods & courses in the public school system, poor/low wages, there’s a good chance when one is coming from all or a mixture of those types of backgrounds, this is a two-fold slam on continuous crime avenues for the poorly educated, completely uneducated, those struggling with mental health, said people more times than not are attracted to gangs and/or violence, many feel like they’re accepted in a gang, more so than what they experienced as children. And those types of people are taken advantage of by the ringleaders of gangs and crime syndicates. After all, crime pays! Most times better than the minimum wage income!!
So, rather than the; “Time for a clampdown period to allow the police special powers to move in and root out the scum from their cess pits.” rhetoric you speak of and the armchair grand standing of other commentary, let’s put it all on the table to address and take action that will have a Meaningful Impact in the future, for those that are most vulnerable to a life of continuous crime as a means of survival, or all that they know or feel like no other choice, and are welcomed with open arms into a life of crime/gangs, because down the line to that life of crime people were failed, failed parents, failed school systems, poverty, politicians not addressing real cause & effect, etc, etc, etc.
Politicians not enacting programs to start addressing what many professionals, consultants from education, psychologists, law experts, human rights advocates, etc have reported to them over the years, time and time again.
“We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
That’s how I’m feeling right now about lack of interests by the politicians of the past and present day.
And no, André Ebanks, prayers won’t do a damn thing to stop/curb any of the issues I address above. So keep your insincere thoughts and useless prayers and go get a copy of the 2006 report Pre-Disposing Factors to Criminality in the Cayman Islands by Yolande Forde, it’s been collecting dust for nearly 18 years come this June.
Take this opportunity to re-engage law makers and law enforcement, educational institutions, parenting professionals, etc – don’t let this fade away in a couple of weeks, this is a way to get public support, if you really, really care about the safety & security for the Cayman Islands as a whole, not just West Bay. This should be the one thing that you campaign on, because if the violence continues as such, continues to escalate, financial investments/industry, tourism and the prosperity they bring will be drying up.
However, the answer is not to give an all out, no holds barred powers to law enforcement, no one group, department, special anything should have carte blanche to circumvent the rights of citizens and their civil liberties. It’s sometimes hard to do the right thing, the right way, so do the right thing, the right way, always.
Ironside you have some good points but the fact is we have a small group of criminal animals who are beyond redemption. The only solution is to change the law and lock them up for life.
As long as it’s laws are followed to the T. And even so, what about up and coming persons who are falling through the cracks and into the crime life? Locking up current criminals without also addressing the Root causes won’t make crime or stop new “criminal animals” from re-establishing gangs & violence as such.
Stop blaming Jamaican culture. Jamaica does not make either guns or drugs. Find your source and deal with that source.
They still the ones bringing it here…
That’s because they are willing to work.
Yeah they’re willing to “work” alright. Looks like they put in some overtime last night.
And says the Russian, the Canadian and the American???
I did. It is Jamaica.
Dancehall culture.
Drugs.
Violence.
Garrison Politics.
Blaming the British for everything.
Baby Mama’s.
Driving standards.
Permissive standards in everything.
Fren Fren.
@26/02/2024 at 8:53 am – The source IS Jamaica. Whether the newly imported or the offspring of Mac’s status grants, the source is the same. Kingston gangsta mentality and culture. One only need listen to the violent hypersexual lyrics of dancehall to see that. Isn’t dancehall Jamaican culture? I rest my case.
You forgot the Jamaican police…
Louder please, for the people with their heads still stuck in the sand.
Stop blaming guns and drugs – both are inanimate things that can’t do anything without a person involved.
Jamaica does not make drugs…. my brother is Christ even you can’t believe that garbage
its so crazy, it is almost like they know police wont be there so they can do it, and if they get caught, it is almost like odds are in their favor not to be prosecuted and or found guilty if they are prosecuted. There is basically no deterrence for these cowardly idiots at this point.
with WB station 1000 yards away.
RCIP WB station a 9 minute walk per google maps (1 minute drive)
Welcome to the vibrant, dynamic community of West Bay, twinned with Kingston, Jamaica
And Mogadishu…
Bodden Town
No security cameras? What century do we live in?
Andre sent a “Calm and pray” message…..That should do it !
At least he said something..
Mac Bernie Cathy get a grip on your district. Kenneth you know all the criminals in your district, yet none of you is willing to pass on information to our now Caymanian COP.
Totally lacking in leadership just to make sure your voters are not upset by you.
Kenny relies on their wotes.
Do not forget clutching his praying beads pretending to be Catholic! The island is being governed by a bunch of dimwits and the Jamrock/Cayman gangs taking over. We are between a rock and a hard place ( no pun intended)
All Ebanks will do is rub the beads. Maybe your premier and Seymour can get results, but isn’t McKeeva Bush from West Bay? It is easier for you people to blame Jamaicans
Premier and Seymour? LOLOLOLOL
McKeewa…prime example!
How’s the Caymanian police commissioner working out then? And I’m sure your Premier and Governor are rushing to the area to support the community. This has to be a new low.
Criminally inclined Jamaicans and Big Mac and his enablers are one and the same. He opened up the flood gates by granting status without any vetting . The only requirement was ‘getting their names on the list” . Guess who were the majority getting their names on the list? Instead of selecting the best among us to bestow such grand privileges on we ended up with the worse. That move also cause much alarm among the decent well respected professional and blue collar workers that were happy to make Cayman their homeland. We are all now suffering the same fate by the imported and homegrown criminals. The Police should have a data base of them they need to go door to door, gather them up and take them all to Northward ASAP.
That’s enough, we need an over the top response with house to house searches and some rights being suspended to squash this trash from our shores!
YES! This is exactly what is needed!!!
I would suggest the FRU expand their crew because we haven’t seen the nowhere near the full extent of the tools these trigger happy young men have at their disposal.
Agreed, or a joint strike force from the UK. This will not be the last mass shooting. Look to America for how every public gathering could be a potential target, even celebratory events like the KC Chiefs victory parade.
As an American, I would have never guessed this would happen here.
Such a horrible day.
And baby mamas too that are supported by one and same government.
1. legalize weed
2. more resources intercepting the drug boats
3. harsher punishment for any crimes involving guns
Singapore barely has any crime – why don’t we just copy their system?
Singapore has harsh penalties for drug use and serious enforcement.
under a Singapore system Possession or consumption can result in a maximum of 10 years in prison, with a possible fine of $20,000, as well as caning, under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Trafficking, import or export of more than 500 grams may result in the death penalty.
They don’t have the space in our prison.
If we’re to follow Singapore, forget legalisaton of any drug.
Good. We only want to legalise or at least decriminalise the herb.
Singapore?
The Cayman residents do not have half of the morals or ethics of an average Singapore resident. Just walk into any Fosters on island, that behavior will not fly in Singapore
Secondly Singapore depends heavily on surveillance. You can not walk 5 feet without being in view of multiple cameras.
Drugs are also illegal there… Plus they have the death penalty (which we cannot have).
I squarely put this indirectly on Dart and the successive Govt’s wanting to be big men with a figure far above their pegging. Unquestionable it could be argued this latest act of violence could be attributed to the unbridled population explosion, development, disenfranchisement of one owns country, natural assets and everything else that comes with it. It reminds me a lot of an Anthony Bourdain episode in Haiti I believe where he and his crew buy food from a street vendor and the ensuing desperate hungry crowd that gathers hoping for morsels left over. Recognising this Bourdain buys all the food from the vendor asking her to distribute it to the crowd, the status quo is fractured and absolute chaos ensues. The hostile environment and chaos are omnipresent.
Absolute garbage. Stop making excuses for these pathetic little men. The majority of people’suffer’ all the same problems and not just in Cayman but the vast majority choose to not be criminal losers.
You completely missed the point 9:40, – It’s not a case of making excuses for these pathetic little men, it’s the bigger picture. Unbridled development, poorly scrutinised import of labour, – the question or comment should be what is the underlying measure that synchronises this.
Your analogy misrepresents the underpinning of this scenario. On the surface it appears likely to be gang rivalry related, specifically what West Bay is known for. These gang-bangers, wasters, wannabes, whatever you want to call them are missing direction. Direction they might otherwise receive from a father figure or influential family member in formative years. Alternately, the gang represents their family and establishes a baseline for their deplorable behaviour.
I digress, there are no gangs as Mac once said. There in lies the issue that’s been ignored and denied for decades. Now we have escalating gun violence and our politicians call for prayers.
Prayer cannot and will not fix this. We’re seconds away from, if not at a state of emergency already and only emergency measures will be needed to mitigate this threat. Armed police units will need to be deployed to patrol the known hotspots in West Bay and other districts. Community events will need armed police security. We do not currently have trained resources to implement this level of response on island. I only hope the COP responds decisively and timely to counter this threat before anything close to this happens again.
CNS: Regarding “…there are no gangs as Mac once said”. I believe you are thinking of Truman Bodden, who said in the 1980s that there were no gangs in Cayman, only “groups”. Sorry, I don’t have the verbatim quote on hand. I have no idea what Mac has said on the matter.
https://www.quora.com/Does-inequality-cause-crime-1
Fair comment 11:52 but the article link above is in part what I was attempting to convey. The Cayman Islands evolution hasn’t been organic, it’s been accelerated synthetically, created a social divide financially, ethically and indigenously and this is in part the fall out of what we’re seeing. Our elected officials in the past promoted the curve and our current ones flounder in the capacity to stall it, – we’re at a point where the manifestation has realised and our criminal officials condemn it, – no wonder we’re in so much trouble.
I was wondering how long it would take to blame Dart.
Who is to blame in Anguilla, Barbados, Antigua, Virgin Islands who all have higher homicide rates that Cayman?
still inequality, –
https://scioteca.caf.com/bitstream/handle/123456789/1786/Inequality%20and%20Crime%20in%20Latin%20America%20and%20the%20Caribbean_New%20Data%20for%20and%20Old%20Question.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
The main conclusion of this paper is that income inequality and crime show a significant
and positive relationship. This result is robust to the utilization of distinct databases, the use
of homicide rates or crime victimization surveys, the inclusion of countries on all continents
or a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean, the consideration of different sets of controls
and standard error estimates, and the measurement of inequality by applying Gini indexes
at the national and subnational levels. The significant and positive results also persist if
historical variables are used to instrument for inequality in crime regressions, suggesting
that a causal interpretation of the estimated effect is reasonable. Moreover, inequality is
the only variable showing this robust regularity. Educational attainment, economic activity,
income per capita, and poverty show much weaker and unstable relationships with crime.
The analysis of the distribution of crime victimization across groups also provides
interesting results. Men suffer more homicides than women, and this ratio is higher in
more unequal societies, such as the LAC countries. According to victimization surveys,
men suffer more crime than women, and the youth suffer more crime than the elderly.
By socio-economic stratum, high-income groups generally suffer more victimization
than poorer groups in LAC countries, although this is not the case on other continents.
Individuals that are more educated suffer higher crime victimization. Ethnic victimization
differences do not seem strong in the LAC region. Finally, the analysis by type of crime
shows that affluent Latin Americans suffer more robberies, but the poor suffer more
homicides.
Although the study of the relationship between inequality and crime is not a new topic,
we have analyzed it using new data from a recent period. The relevance of the problem in
Latin America and the current events affecting the world make this revision particularly
timely. The COVID-19 pandemic is already having huge impacts on economic activity
throughout the world. The recession and its differential impacts are affecting unemployment,
poverty, and inequality. Although early indicators and anecdotal evidence suggest that,
with fewer people and more police on the streets, lockdowns have initially reduced crime,
our results warn that the coronavirus can become associated with a rebounded epidemic of
crime in Latin America and the Caribbean.
You *repeatedly* elect criminals and thugs to parliament and then wonder why we have a criminal thug problem. Blame the Jamaicans all you like but the problem is closer to home and you all know it.
The problem is multi-faceted, the two points you mention above are a part of that.
Here are some ideas:
Revert back to the UK education system in our schools – including emphasizing world class teachers from every country rather than just “the region.”
Enforce the Immigration Act (we don’t).
Enforce the Gang Legislation (we don’t).
Enforce the Misuse of Drugs Act (we don’t).
Enforce the Maintenance Act (we don’t).
Increase minimum wage.
Stop importing poverty.
Implement the National Identification Card Scheme.
Diversify the Police.
Diversify the judiciary.
Impose Caymanian community standards.
Demand excellence.
THIS!! Well said!
Fantastic. The most comprehensive, absolutely correct answer on here. Screenshot and send to every MP. You are utterly on the nose mate – could not agree with you more.
@26/02/2024 at 8:26 am – Well said. We know what needs to be said but no on has the cojones to say it. Back when the public schools were taught by teachers from first world societies (UK, EU, US, Canada, etc.), Caymanian children came up better. Caymanian children were exposed to people who held themselves to a higher standard, therefore the resulting education was at a higher standard. Then someone had the bright idea to have Caymanian children taught by teachers “from the region”. You know, because we’re of similar cultures. Hogwash. What other Caribbean nation do you know that has seen prosperity similar to the Cayman Islands? Not a one. We’re not bringing up Caymanian children (at least not enough of them) with the mindset, mentality and skillset necessary to take advantage of that prosperity. Caymanians come out of the public school system unable to communicate to the level that is necessary to take part in that prosperity. Trust me, I know what I’m taking about. I mentor school leavers from both private and public schools. The private school kids are ready for the next big step in life. The public school kids can barely communicate. They lack confidence to look you in the eye when they’re talking to you. They lack the grammar skills necessary to communicate intelligently. They lack the proper attitude, grooming and ambition. Cayman’s public school system used to produce doctors and lawyers and accountants. That all ended when we traded teachers from first world societies for teachers from the region. Love it or hate it. Its the TRUTH!
AMEN… say it again LOUDER!
Will anybody in a position of authority or area of responsibility really get it and act by doing their jobs?
💯 % agree, but without tackling corruption and not having morally and ethically strong, competent, honest and selfless politicians at the helm Cayman will continue to degrade.
Call in the royal navy. Rcips isnt capable and govt is ignoring the problem.
The Royal Navy?
The RN don’t train as ground forces I think you mean the Royal Marines
Time to bring in the big boys, and I don’t mean the Dad’s Army Regiment.
Cayman is finished. This is what we’ve come to? Really? I mourn what our islands used to be.
It’s not finished yet, but unless we get on top of this, and quickly, which requires political will, support of the police, adoption of policies that many won’t like, not worry about votes, and so on. Until that happens, if it ever does, yes we will gradually continue to deteriorate as a community and it will have massive and possibly fatal impact on the Cayman economy and we then go into a spiral of decline.
I currently have no confidence in our elected political class. I reserve opinion on the police as their hands are tied by the politicians.
I hope we will be having a press conference so we can hear input from the premier, the governor, the minister of police and jonjon.
If we did them during Covid to report on those people breaking curfew, I think a mass shooting more than warrants it!
Don’t want to hear anything from ‘jonjon’, please!
Masks!
I’m horrified. Governor?
Get rid of the Eastern Caribbean cops in the RCIPS. They are not professional law enforcement officers. We need to go back to bringing professional law enforcement officers from the UK and educating Caymanians to become professional law enforcement officers. This policing of our country with people that just see it as a job is not working.
Most RCIPS you see out on the roads couldn’t even pass a UK driving test. The FRU drivers seem to have had some driver training but if the rest of them can’t even drive to a basic minimum standard, what chance these people are ever going to competently use the criminal justice system to put a stop to this gun stupidity?
FRU only drive into other people!
Most of them can’t even write a report in good English, so they prefer to close their eyes to crimes instead of having to write a report. Just look at the English of two ex policemen who always comment on social media!!!
This can’t be the governor said Cayman is a hostile environment for gun crime and yet it gets worse!
Import Jamaica. Sprinkle some Honduras. Remove all British Police and Educators. Displace Caymanians from opportunity. Dumb down the civil service. Ignore our laws. Elect Mac and Ju Ju.
What was anyone expecting?
STOP importing Jamaican culture!
North American you mean.
Learn to read the room. we need unity to stamp out this issue not divisive comments like this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate
Just read through this on Wikipedia. Thank you for posting. Enlightening, but not surprising……
I had no idea!! sort the chart by “rate” and youll see what country comes out on top
Note where Singapore, Japan, the nordic countries are.
The eastern Caribbean islands are looking pretty dismal. Cayman is inching towards joining them.
Apples and oranges
this is US idiot rap culture, the basis for idiot jamaican culture combined with worthless parenting.
Stop Blaming other countries for our homegrown problems, until we take our heads out the sand and take accountability the problems will get worst!!!
Worst. Or worserer?
Where were your edumicators from if these issues are supposedly home-grown?
Some person(s) have to know who the shooter was. Tell the authorities. Think of your family and community. Be brave.
Yes. Please come forward, because for all the feelings of guilt you may have, rest assured the shooter(s) will not have any.
And then watch the DPP and RCIP cluster **** the investigation/prosecution and the perp walk!
We need more than just tipsters to fix this disaster we have on our hands.
BINGO!