BT burglaries decrease under police and public pressure
(CNS): The crime spike that hit the district of Bodden Town recently seems to be under control after police rounded up several of the suspects and local people have stepped up their own security and neighbourhood watches. But as burglaries decrease in that community from a surge of 26 break-ins during the first two weeks of May to five over the last two weeks, burglaries in and around George Town have increased again and officers are urging everyone across the islands to be vigilant and security conscious.
Following the May crime spree in Bodden Town, the RCIPS sent reinforcements from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to the district to work with the officers stationed there to pursue the investigation and apprehension of active burglars.
By Wednesday, 7 June, seven arrests had been made for burglary and other property related crimes. Five of the individuals have also been charged and remanded in custody.
While the arrests contributed to the decline in the number of break-ins over the last two weeks, police said that members of the public in the Bodden Town community have also been active and resolute in responding to the sudden rise in property crime.
“We have seen residents in Bodden Town really come together in different neighbourhoods throughout the district to form neighbourhood watches, and generally just support each other and feel more secure,” said Inspector Rudolph Gordon, Neighbourhood Inspector for the Eastern Districts. “They have passed a lot of useful information and observations on to us, some of which has helped us make arrests. Fighting crime is a joint effort between police and the community, and we can have great results when we work together.”
One recently formed neighbourhood watch in the Mijall Road area has an active WhatsApp group named “Mijall Watch Squad”, which has started working on distributing flyers and regularly trades messages on all happenings in the area.
“Knowing that your neighbours are on the alert makes you feel more secure and I notice that I am also more aware,” said Collin Taylor, a member of the watch, “I used to drive straight into my driveway after work, but now I circle the neighbourhood just to see what is going on first.”
Taylor also said that the National Roads Authority also recently installed street lamps and cut hedges in the area after requests from the neighbourhood watch group.
But despite the efforts of police and people in Bodden Town, burglaries have increased in other parts of Grand Cayman, with homes in South Sound and smaller commercial businesses in George Town being targetted.
Neighbourhood officers are urging residents to form neighbourhood watches and to be aware of possible security weaknesses in their homes and businesses. Police advise the public to ensure that doors are properly carpentered, with hinges on the inside of the door and a proper lock jam, that hedges are kept low so neighbours can see what is happening on the property, and maintain positive connections with neighbours in general. People are also reminded that if they are going off-island to arrange for someone to check their property daily.
Security reviews of properties can be arranged with neighbourhood officers throughout the districts. Anyone who would like to be visited by a neighbourhood officer or is interested in starting a neighbourhood watch in their area should contact their local police station.
Category: Crime, Crime Prevention, Police
Yes – decreased in Bodden Town…..because they’ve all caught the bus to South Sound area.
Of course they decreased…its summer…far to hot to be out and about robbing people…
Schools out soon, batten down the hatches.
Yes we will soon experience our mass exodus of landings for the summer.
I read not too long ago there was a man in court with 59 convictions !! what is he doing on the streets?! Hey Captain Obvious he is a career criminal! Keep these people locked up there is no saving them ! We work to hard to have them steal and then back on the streets again after a couple of months!!
Now do the same in Prospect. A treasure trove for burglars riding aroud scoping houses from bicycles. Help!
We are still waiting on the Detective to provide us with the police report of the burglary that happened at our property on May 13th. Its been over a month now so hopefully we will get it by Christmas.
Ozzy back on the beat with cow cod in hand?
Arrest and deportations of foreign criminals are effective tools to solve our crime problems along with not letting serial burglars out on parole
But the Caymanian ones should be set free, right?
The RCIPS is dreaming asusual the burglars have simple move down the road to Northward and Savannah with some even going as far now as Prospect same old game while we patting and praising ourselves on the back and head we need to get our well paid @$$ on patrol and start deporting their brethren criminals instead of letting them tying up our courts with appeals and judicial reviews and finally stop letting out serial burglars on parole. There you have it folks the real situation on our streets and just a few solutions to solve some of our crime problems
Slowing down burglary should be as simple as following the money. If the thieves cannot sell what they are stealing then stealing stuff would stop. Problem is our laws are lax and the government people who prosecute have some reason for not prosecuting the guys who buy stolen property and move it on to Honduras and Jamaica and even scum in Cayman who have no problem buying stolen property for their own use. Maybe the fences are too politically connected.
In Cayman, burglary is a near foolproof crime. Professional thieves are never prosecuted. Only complete idiots ever go to jail for burglary.
For every 100 burglaries there are maybe 5 arrests. For every 100 arrests there are maybe 5 charges laid.
For every 100 burglary charges laid there are maybe 5 prosecutions actually going to court.
For every 100 burglary prosecutions that actually get to court, the conviction rate is less than 50%. Bottom line, the police and prosecution services have no interest in seeing any of these criminals going to jail. Does anybody know why this is?
Cos the burglars are the cops’ buddies I suspect!
I suppose it is difficult to burglarise a home from inside a jail cell, but it is an incredible, life changing event, that the hedges have been trimmed, now we can all live in peace.
The criminals in BT are just enjoying thier latest catches and waiting out the police, then it rince and repeat.
You know it all too well…but do you want or need 24/7 survelliance??
If the reallocation of CID officers to the field is actually having a causality-linked crime deterrent effect, then maybe the lesson is that they are better suited to a prevention role than sitting in one of the police stations reviewing cold and insufficient evidence on crimes that are rarely solved. We need just a handful of our most intuitive officers in the field at all times to make it harder for criminals to carry out their ambitions.
Will this scum face the same robust RCIPS response when they come back to West Bay?
Nope!
They’ve already cleaned out everyone here anyways.
They just moved to GTS! We are getting all the break-ins now!!!
Hey Barb – Can we please have more patrols in the area? I can’t remember the last time I saw a police car!
BT is the new West Bay
No, it’s the new Tivoli.
There is only one West Bay! You either love it or stay south of the 4-way!