PPM calls on UPM to tackle causes of gang crime
(CNS): The rise in gun crime and gang activity demands attention, Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart said in the wake of the shooting last month during a football match at the Ed Bush Stadium, where seven people were wounded in what appears to be another incident of gang-related violence. McTaggart said the government must prioritise the issues of at-risk youth. They must disrupt gang activity and provide the RCIPS with the resources necessary to revitalise community policing and strengthen capacity.
“We must tackle the underlying causes of this violence head-on,” the PPM leader said in his statement on crime. “Similar to many countries, we grapple with social issues within our community that demand our attention. We know that some of our youth encounter personal challenges that lead them towards gangs and criminal paths. We must show our young people the countless positive opportunities our islands offer. To achieve this, we must unite, focusing our strengths on confronting these varied social challenges head-on.”
McTaggart called for law enforcement agencies to be equipped with the latest technology and strategies
to combat gang activities effectively. However, the RCIPS received its largest-ever budget for 2024, with more than $60 million earmarked for the police this year alone.
In this latest incident of escalating gun violence, a man opened fire on a group of more than twenty people standing on the touchline at the match at the West Bay sports ground. The lone shooter used a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, which police say they had not documented through forensic ballistic before. He fired around 15 shots at two men who were believed to be the targets but hit another five people.
McTaggart said before the shock diminishes, we should reflect on what lessons we can draw and not let crime worsen and become the norm in our society. “We will support the government when we see progress and remind them to act when we see none,” the opposition leader added.
See McTaggart’s video message here.
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Category: Local News
Man it is amazing how quickly Roy, back peddled on that “we are standing together” BS he was selling during the press conference.
The hypocrisy is staggering. The PPM had 12 years in power to address the root causes of criminality. I reference the Ford report urging us to address the causes of crime including poverty, abuse, and lack of opportunity – and the ongoing efforts of Michael Myles to channel our at-risk youth in positive directions. The PPM did NOTHING but sell us and our kids down the river. So please, shut the hell up and sit down.
As if this would not have happened under a PPM administration. Please stop this rhetoric of “we could do better” crap. Yes hold all members of the government accountable, but the crime is a failure of many governments, including the previous 8 years that were some form of PPM coalition.
Shooting suspects out on bail?!!!!!
you must be new here so let me fill you in; every time there is a major crime the police arrest people to give the illusion that they’re making progress and calm the nerves of the people. they’re next move is wait for some other major global event to divert our attention.
Dear Roy leader of the opp please call the strategic reform Implementation group they have all the answers to your questions bo?
The most ruthless and dangerous gang in Cayman is MP19, and they have been operating in the open on Fort Street for many years.
Ruthless and dangerous.?
They’re just brain dead little shits who can’t read and write.
Woosh! That went right over the top of your head.
Yep 11.42….. just read it again, you’re right… but on reflection, I’m sorta kinda right too.
PPM. Poor People Mistake..It’s time to hang it up Roy.. The PPM has become a lost cause. Close it down now and move on. You have become irrelevant in the politics arena. No one trusts or believes in you anymore.
By the way, the “U” in from of the UPM is just Julie’s way of trying to make us believe it’s not the PPM.
All of you need to go in the election. Give some other people a chance because Lord knows they can’t be any worse than you.
We tried that last election and what did we get? instead of seasoned jackasses we got novice jackasses that couldn’t even last one term as a team. politics is inherently corrupted by special interest groups and until that changes, it doesn’t matter who we elect…same outcome.
The U represents a recycled UDP.
Roy is about as out of touch on Cayman as someone living on Mars. Cayman youth need to run for office and change this place before the UK takes over its management completely. the bozos running the show are a embarrassment on the rest of us.
waffle….’we must do something….etc’…..zzzzzz
classic stuff from do-nothing-ppm.
The “causes of gang crime” is in the focus of our politicians et al. Really??? Do they really know or realize what fuels alleged “gang” activity in Cayman?
Unlike real gang culture in most parts of the world, it’s NOT control of “turf”, it’s NOT control of drugs or any other crime. In Cayman, “gangs” consist of a group of boys with big guns and they fight about the same things boys fight over anywhere else these days – dissing one another, girls, stepping on my toe in the club, etc, etc!!
Of course, when one shooting occurs, there will be a response by friends and associates of the victim. So most “gang” violence here is actually stupid tit-for-tat over trivial bullshit – with deadly results!!
There you go politicians, your answer on a platter. What will you do now???
Don’t worry Roy, they cleared the bush by the corner of the fence, all is well again.
Suckoo and Myles were on the right track but were not re-elected/elected. These are the kinds of thinkers we need in Government.
Roy the PPM would do well to recruit them for the next election!!
We are now in a downward spiral, we need new ideas and people with the intelligence, experience and ability to fix these problems.
https://www.caymancompass.com/2019/01/20/suckoo-calls-for-action-to-deal-with-causes-of-crime/
https://caymannewsservice.com/2019/01/social-report-poverty/
https://caymannewsservice.com/2018/07/activist-calls-for-proactive-approach-to-crime/
If Myles ever aligns himself with PPM, everything he has claimed to stand for will be questioned (and rightfully so.)
I hope it never happens, because he is one of the few that I actually believe in.
Would you rather he aligned himself with ex drug dealers, drunken woman beaters, low life of no integrity education or intellect and so on ..?
That has been the flaw in politics for a long time now. Ignorant useless buffoons somehow bully their way past intelligent capable politicians and take leadership positions and we end up with the mess we are in now. Take Wayne Panton for example, nice guy but uselsss, but he used his cash to get to the Premiership and look at the shambles he created. Elected only by the size of his wallet. This is the joke our politics has become.
You mean all the same people that were representing PPM in the previous election cycle? Is your memory that short? Or are you just paid to not remember?
To answer your question though: No, I’d rather he align himself with proper independents that actually want to change our islands for the better. Emily DeCou is one of those, and I hope she runs again.
Independents??? You head must be really hard! the illusion of an Independent Alliance of independents is what has gotten us in this mess!
Perhaps the government should look inwards and ask itself how a convicted drug dealer is allowed to run for office. It should also enforce the code of conduct for drunk sex pest woman assaulting politicians instead of relying on the poor judicial system to fix it. No good blaming other parties, it doesn’t fix anything.
Sadly this incident, sexual assault, lewd and lascivious behaviour are all pretty much accepted amongst the local populace. This maladapted mindset will be difficult to change unless as you say our elected members and civil servants lead by example which is highly unlikely.
what a deep and enlightening insight. now we truly have a clear path towards making our country better…zzzzzzz
44 years to late. it’s now part of your culture.
Cul-Cha! Says so on the Eye of Sauron aka runway billboard.
He should also ask why NONE of them, especially Mac Kenneth and Seymour raised their voices in condemning the shootings.
Their silence condones and keeps their voter base of uneducated unemployables.
Seymour & Bush were to busy riding the donkey and the tourism minister was busy kissing the rich people’s backside.
Apparently only the rich can afford cocaine nowadays.
Kurt and Alden must hang their heads in shame knowing they gave the leadership of their party to have wits like Roy and Joey.
They do not care as long as their own nests are being feathered!
I don’t know whether to upvote you because you are right about them being “have[sic] wits”, or downvote you because Kurt and Alden are also egotistical half-wits that have put themselves and their wealthy friends over the country time and time again.
PPM have zer solutions and will say and do anything to regain power to finish selling out this country
At least they can read and write .
The Progressives were in charge for 8 years from 2013-2021 as part of full and coalition governments. We had gangs, drugs, guns and violence running the streets then too. Violent events, shootings and death in the streets occurred just like today.
Do Roy McTaggart, Joey Hew, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, Dwayne Seymour, Moses Kirkconnell, David Wight, Barbara Connolly, McKeeva Bush, Kurt Tibbetts and Sir Alden McLaughlin plus the other members forget that the same things have been happening for years while they have been elected and in charge of the elected government of the day?
Where were the strategies and solutions they are now demanding when they ran the country and had the power?
There must be an election around the corner.
Don’t worry old Roy, under the leadership of Ju Ju all is going great. Why don’t you just hang out with Jon-Jon and enjoy!
Ummmmm….Roy, when you adopt a permits for all policy, grant status and PR to everyone no matter how undeserving, maintain an artificially low minimum wage, support a failing Caribbean-centered education system, allow the police to ignore active enforcement for a generation and displace and marginalize Caymanians in the process, shit happens.
Sometimes the shit will come out of the barrel of a gun.
I think you’re referring to Mac and his cronies.
Actually, just to his cronies in this instance.
Impotent politicians.
I wish I got 150k per annum to state the obvious like Roy and the rest of them. But most of all, I wish I got 220k per annum to be premier, minister of education and whatever else she is in charge of, I could fail at my job but still set my own salary.
Roy, Roy, Roy, Roy, Roy, – the PPM was a stalwart supporter of selling the Island out from its own people, cozying up to the developers, ransacking our environment, playing whore to the cruise lines and the party which didn’t have the balls to do anything about a convicted assault assailiant but you want to show our young people the countless positive opportunities our islands offer’. Tell us Roy, what opportunities are there left that the pursuance of inequality hasn’t taken away.