Good Samaritans targeted by thieves

| 11/11/2008

(CNS): Red Cross volunteers who left their vehicles at the Red Cross headquarters to head to the Brac to help with relief efforts have discovered that every one was broken into sometime between Sunday and Monday (9-10 November). The 10 volunteers, who underwent an 11-hour journey to the Brac in stormy seas on the Cayman Agressor, had already worked hard helping people prepare for the storm on Grand Cayman.

Hemant Balgobin, the Red Cross Disaster Manager for the Cayman Islands, said that the members who travelled to the Brac had helped residents on Grand Cayman board up their houses and haul sandbags as Hurricane Paloma appraoched, had most of them also acted as shelter wardens during the storm. Even after all that, they had offered to give up more of their time and effort in the aftermath to assist people on the Brac.

According to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, which has begun an investigation into the incident, the cars had been parked in the car park of the Red Cross building opposite the Cricket Oval by volunteers before they left for Cayman Brac on Sunday afternoon. Police received a call from a Red Cross staff member at around 12pm Monday reporting that a number of vehicles had been damaged. Police responded and found that windows of five vehicles had been smashed. Scenes of Crime officers attended and processed the scene. Due to the owners being off-island, it is not known atthis time what, if anything, was taken from the cars.

“It is particularly sad that this has happened to people who have gone out of their way to volunteer and assist others,” said Sergeant Durk Banks of George Town police station, adding that everyone should make sure their vehicles, homes and possessions are secure at all times. “It is unfortunate that there are people who will take advantage of situations like this and we have to do all we can to make things as hard as possible for them,” he said.

The RCIPS advises residents never to leave valuables in their cars, ensure they are locked at all times and park in the most secure place possible.

Anyone with information about crime taking place in the Cayman Islands should contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling crime stoppers remain anonymous, and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000, should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Leave these NUISANCES to the hands of GOD! He will deal with them accordingly! Some people just don’t have enough SENSE about them to just look beyond their criminal minds to see that people are trying to help one another and by stealing and creating more unnecessary upset is only making life more difficult for everyone. Why don’t those LOSER go and get a job like the rest of us and put their minds and bodies to some good use! If that don’t work, why don’t you just do us all a favor and go drown yourselves somewhere!!!!!!!! We could do without the likes of you fools around here!!!

    THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS VOLUNTEERED TO GO OVER TO CAYMAN BRAC TO HELP OUT! THANK YOU, AND GOD BLESS YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS.

  2. Helen says:

    That’s just plain disgusting. Such people have no self worth of themselves and are the lowest of the low to do such deeds to those trying to help others. For shame…but they obviously don’t care.