CITA calls on cops to act

| 11/03/2010

(CNS): The local tourism industry has raised its voice against the rising crime in the islands and called on the police to do more to stop the criminals and gangs, which the industry says are seeing the Cayman Islands as a land of opportunity with inadequately checked borders and few consequences to their actions. The Cayman Islands Tourist Association Board of Directors has called on the RCIPS to try harder and asked both the police and the governor, at what point will they realize that taking the same action will yield the same result and move towards a more aggressive policing policy?

“As the responsibility for policing and the criminal justice system rests with the Governor and RCIPS, we ask them both:  At what point will you concede that taking the same actions will yield the same results and so crime will continue to climb until ourtourism economy becomes yet another fatal victim,” the CITA board said in a written statement .

"The harsh reality is that the time has come to take aggressive policing measures to bring back the Cayman we all know and love. We have reached a tipping point in recent times that has brought us to a critical point where action is required. The Cayman Islands Tourism Association firmly supports our Premier McKeeva Bush’s request for the establishment of a ‘Special Task Force’ to ensure that law and order prevails in our beloved Cayman Islands.”

The non governmental organisation said that the Cayman Island’s single greatest economic asset is its tourism industry. The members said that the reputation of Cayman as a wonderful, safe family destination was built and nurtured by thousands of hard-working and dedicated people over the years and the great reputation we have earned must remain intact.

“Neither Cayman’s tourism industry, nor our people, must ever be allowed to come under threat,” the board said. “We therefore recommend and will strongly support all efforts to stamp out all elements of crime. We recognize that the RCIPS is trying harder and harder, but it is not enough.”

If left unaddressed, the association warned that the future of the sector would be about guarded perimeters around the islands’ resorts, turning the authentic visitor experiences into a compound of distractions in the hope that our tourists don’t get to see what is going on outside.

CITA said that everyone would suffer in the long run if crime was not controlled, with declining air arrivals as the typical family orientated visitor looks elsewhere.

“Cayman was once a destination where many of our visitors turned into repeat visitors and eventually a significant number of whom would or have purchased a beach front vacation home or condo. The ability to rent out these vacation homes and the impact crime has on real estate values will also send a crippling wave through our entire economy that many businesses and Caymanians have thrived on for the last three decades,” the CITA went on to say.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Get real CITA – a ‘special task force’ is not the way to sort out crime or criminals on Cayman.The community coming together is what will sort this out.

    Stop getting involved in things you know nothing about, stick to tourism issues that’s what you do best. Leave policing to those who do that best – the police.

    How about you start by sorting out your relationship with the tourism department and get the message out there that Cayman still is a safe pace to visit.

    This type of cheap headline grabbing does not help the industry you are so keen to protect.

    Funny how people always stick the blame on law enforcement – not the failings of society/ government which led to these young men becoming involved in crime in the first place.

    What is CITA’s social engagement strategy – how does it get involved in providing alternative routes for young people?

    Stop headline chasing and start working with the police.

     

     

     

  2. Anonymous says:

    CITA is right, but they could help with a little more effort in employing locals. Do I really need a Brit telling me where the restaurants are, a Canadian showing me how to operate a jet ski, a Jamaican driving my tour bus, and an American teaching me how to dive?

    All of these things used to be done, and done well, by Caymanians. They just have to be given some training. When the Caymanians did these things they did not feel disenfranchised, and the last thing one of their kids would do would be to rob a tourist.

    Even dogs won’t bite the hand that feeds them. Some hotel managers are unwittingly doing that. They think the tourists are there because of them, but really the tourists are here because of all of us, and they are here to fill the demand the Caymanian people created. Callously dissing a local kid who is trying to do good turns around and bites you pretty hard, doesn’t it?

  3. Anonymous says:

    Friday 15:02: You are obviously out to lunch. Most Northward Prison guards and Judges are non-Caymanian (at least from the genetic perspective), so your stupiud suggestion of replacing them with ex-pats holds no water. You obviously don’t live in Cayman otherwise you would know that – everyone else does. And which MLA’s do you know who have allowed criminals to not be dealt with by law because they are related???  Crawl back in whatever hole you reside and shut up! 

  4. Anonymous says:

     

    The poor civil servants aren’t the ones who should have to suffer; there are other ways that Gov’t can save money. The first place they need to start with the cuts is HMP! Without even thinking I can name 3 ways they can save on their utility bill. Cut: cell phones, fans and TV.
    Now you tell me why a prisoner should have a Blackberry, why should they be able to have a fan to keep them cool and why tell me why should they be able to fill me in on what happened on reality shows like “The Bad Girls Club”? I mean come on UDP, not saying that ur the reason why they have those luxuries, but before you even suggested to cut the salaries of the hard working law abiding Caymanians you should have done it to the people who are destroying our country.
    Fact at least 7 out of 10 Caymanians are living from pay check to pay check. How will they survive with a pay cut? They can’t even rely on Social Services to help.
    Cut the cost of living for the prisoners! There is no reason why a prisoner should be living better or on par with us. They should be eating corned beef and rice every day. Now I stand to be corrected on this matter if I’m wrong, but the other day I was at a local wholesale  food store and saw a prison officer checking out with a trolley FULL of nice snacks like honey buns,  skittles etc. They handed the cashier what looked like a Gov’t purchase order, so I am assuming those items were for the prison. HELLO do you know how many school children wish they had those kind of snacks at home? Come on UDP I voted STRAIGHT. This was supposed to be a better way forward, so lets start by helping the people who deserve it and not making life easy for the criminals anymore.
  5. Anonymous says:

     One would expect more intelligent comments from a board such as CITA.

     This is not a problem born from a lack of performance by Law Enforcement Professionals, but rather a FAILURE of the Citizens and Judiciary of these islands to carry-out their civic responsibilities to our society.

     The Judiciary has failed to create and maintain the Environment necessary to effectively prosecute and punish criminals, even though the problem has grown to become a ‘Glaring’ one, and in-spite of the existence of harsher avenues of punishment that are available to them.

     The ‘citizens’ role here is three-fold:

    1). We refuse to unite and take the kind of position that will FORCE the Politicians (who are OUR employees) to address these issues with the urgency that is required.

    2). We refuse to ‘stand and be counted’, mainly out of fear …..

    3). We continue to neglect the very foundation of a healthy society, the Family Unit, and daily we ‘spit in the face’ of traditional Caymanian values. We choose instead to trade Family and Spiritual Values, for Gold and Greed.                                                                                                                We are happy to let the ‘Television and Video-game GODS’ raise our kids, so that we can pursue ‘keeping-up with the Jones’. We have sold what little tradition and cultural identity we had to the highest bidder.                            We believe that the world owes us EVERYTHING, so therefore we are accountable for nothing.

    This is what we have sown, and this is what we are reaping ….

    The Change must come from us, the Citizens, for we alone have the ability and the power to make change happen.

     Let us make these changes for the GOOD of our Society.

       

  6. Anonymous says:

     

    Ive had to deal with the police a number of times due to the crime on this island and they are doing a great job , the problem is the local laws and the local people themselves, the police catch and arrest these criminals and the Cayman islands Judges and local people let them off and set them free to rob steal and murder again

    1/ The prison is a joke, ive spoken to some ex cons and they say its easier than the outside , they have cable tv ,drugs, internet , three meals a day ,video games etc, corupt guards who will get you anything for a price.Spend some money now or pay a price that this island will never recover from later ,make the prison tougher and less comfortable, take away the TV , video games drugs etc , bring in Ex pat guards with no family connections to the prisoners, shave , shackle and work gang these guys until they drop, make them not want to go back to prison.

    2/replace your judges, the Judges here cant convict anyone and often let little jimmy go because hes related (anyone rember the seven guys that robbed the bank in broad daylight and were let off, guess what thoses guys have been up to since then),

    3/a gun found in a house or car , arrest everyone – no one confesses sentence them all -10 years in the prison I suggest will help them rember whos gun it is

    4/ MLAs – If an MLA swears , asaults or threatens a police officer, arrest them , sack them , jail them one year minimum and fine them a huge amount of money ( the money is the only thing MLAs care about

    If you are a Cayman Police officer please remember there are huge amount of expats that know you have a tough job and have no control over the judges and MLAs letting their criminal relations go free, good luck stay safe and shoot to kill.

     

  7. Anonymous says:

    Are the members of CITA willing to coordinate a march against crime to protect their members interests and the community at large?

  8. Anonymous says:

    We can’t expect so much from our police or politicians.

    The crime is ours until Caymanians start caring enough to come forward and deliver the evidence/testimony the cops need to put these (few) problem people away!  

    Fear is the tool used to create the environment of acceptance that propagates this fungus.  We have to remind and embolden ourselves that this violent crime stems from a very small element in our society and it can be crushed if people come forward with EVIDENCE or TESTIMONY.

    Gangs induce silence through intimidation, threats against family relations (possibly addicts), and free drug coercion.  There is now an anonymous method to combat this element and "people that know" should take it upon themselves to "deliver what they know".
     

    "If you refuse to change the life you have, you are doomed to live the life you get".

     

  9. Alan Burton says:

    As I have posted before I hate the crime in Grand Cayman. It is almost beyond belief. I certainly hope that there can be a serious effort to stop the violence. I am amazed that your police officers do not carry side arms? That may have worked a few years ago but that needs to change quickly. As an American I have owned guns most all of my adult life. I have never threatened or hurt anyone and I pray I never have to but I can tell you having a gun has saved me more than once. A few years ago I operated a small grocery and had about ten young thugs enter around closing time one night demanding money. I reached under the counter and pulled out my pistol and with some very salty language suggested they leave the building. They chose to never bother me again, it was always good day sir after that. A few days later these same thugs entered a grocery operated by an older lady in her late 70’s. She did not have protection and was robbed, beaten and leftfor dead. That’s the way it works you have to meet violence head on to stop it. This is the only thing criminals understand. I can site another incident on a beautiful Sunday afternoon my wife and I were on the highway heading to the airport when some gang members came up and was trying to run us off the road to maybe rob us or worse. I tried to get away and otherwise avoid them, but they were having none of that. I finally reached in the glovebox and pulled out my 9mm pistol and let them see me lay it on the dash in front of me and at the point they drove off and left us alone. I shutter to think how these two incidents may have ended for me without protection. I am not suggesting that the citizens of Cayman arm themself as I know that gun ownership is prohibited, but at the very least your police need to be heavly armed in a situation like you have now. The force for good must at least equal the forces of evil otherwide the evil will prevail. Again the good news is your island is small enough that you could contain this problem with enough police or military presence to shut these gangs down.

  10. Afraid to Strap on a Pair Also says:

    TAKE OUT THE CAYMAN 15-  I’ll not renew my license to provide tourist accommodations.  I have the responsibility to insure the safety of my tourists.  Governor and police- make it happen now!  Curfews, marshall law, UK involvement; I don’t care. Make it happen, fool fools! 

    • Dick Shaughneary says:

      I find it incredible that someone can be so rude as to call people "fool fools" while showing themselves to be ignorant as to the use of the words "licence", "insure" and "martial". 

  11. Anonymous says:

    Prevention, not cure!  The police need to work on the current crimes AND start monitoring the "criminals" for any proposed criminal activity.  This suggestion along with hundreds on this site are ONLY suggestions but really something SHOULD and CAN be done!  Bring in individuals who are trained for this if who we have aren’t cutting it.  The police may feel threatened or a criminal may be their uncle’s half-sister’s friend’s friend’s ex-helper’s ex-husband primary-school buddy so they don’t get on their case as they should.  Bring in those that won’t have that connection and will do what it takes!

  12. Kaptain Kayman says:

    Well we finally have done it!  The message boards on travel sites like Trip Advisor are now lighting up with people now too SCARED to come to Cayman.

    Bye, Bye why any reason we are a more desirable destination than Jamaica, Mexico, Tobago, St. Marteen.  We are now just part of the same armpit cesspool of crime-ridden-little-wanna-be-countries that litter the Caribbean.

    • Anonymous says:

      Captain kayman you seem tickled pink in knowing that Cayman is having alot of problems with all those lousy thugs. I  just hope that you have made enough money by now that you can tell us goodbye and go back to your Heaven.

  13. peter milburn says:

    I must agree fully with the story re CITA and fighting crime here in the Cayman Islands.I have said this over and over again that it will take ONE shooting of an innocent visitor to these shores and we think times are hard now??Wake up leaders of this country and start earning your pay cheques.and stop lally gagging around.It takes way too long to get anything done in Cayman for that very reason.Too much Bs’sing and in fighting in our Honorable House instead of coming together to make things better for EVERYONE.It makes me laugh when I see where Govt.has those Days of Prayers where everyone pledges to work together UNTIL they step out of the building.and its back to POLITRICS as usual.Time for you all to GROW up and start doing what is right for us all.

    • Anonymous says:

      Peter, I couldn’t agree with you more. This new level of crime here is another symptom of how the whole social fabric of this country has been and continues to be destroyed while the politricks continue.

  14. Anonymous says:

    We can all hope this is not to late.  I noticed today on a Travel Website, TripAdvisor,  the last attack is now a posted. This website is well known and it will be only a matter of time before the other major travel website have the same postings.  Your islands can not afford to loss the tourists.  More jobs will be lost and some businesses will close.  

    I know I look for affordable and safe places for my family to travel. We have been to the Cayman Islands but it will no longer be on our list. My family’s safety comes first as I’m sure it is for everyone reading this.  Sorry to say I can not recommend the Cayman Islands to anyone until the crime is back under control. We wish your beautiful island the best in these hard times.

    • Anonymous says:

      There are three islands: Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, and Grand Cayman.  I would suggest to continue coming to the islands.  Go check out Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.  I guarantee your safety.

      I would hope that you don’t tell people to not come to the Cayman Islands because of like I said above there are three islands that shouldn’t be painted with the same brush.

      Things will get back to normal. 

  15. Da Game says:

    Well CITA where have you been in a Mid Summers dream innocent people have had to suffer with this Inept and over manned foreign police service doing absolutely nothing for these islands. It has gone on for so long that some conspiracy theorist had decide they are behind it. They have been given a budget that has bankrupt Cayman all under the guidance and leadership of our wise Governing Power the UK. Who’s only contribution is to replace the best officers with their out of work comrades leaving in place our local but loyal inept/corrupt stooges and deciding to further alienating the Cayman public by employing more foreign nationals from jurisdictions with even more serious issues with corruption and to top it off promote them to senior leadership. When the public who are subjected to local arm thugs and their outrageous violence make good suggestions such as restoring some of the good officers to deal with the dire situation we are now in, they are indifferent and carry out road checks to persecute people for expired registration coupons.  They have now figure out its the public’s fault now as a result of bad parenting and non functioning school system. Can we please get our money back now for all the toys our foreign manned police have boats cars helicopter and benefits. What a mess we are in Cayman and for all those foolish people who believe our self indulging corrupt foreign protected politicians are going to help resolved the problem that they have help create. Then you believe Cayman is going to go back to the yester years. Don’t hate the player folks hate the game

  16. Anon says:

    It makes me laugh how everyone seems to think it is sosimple to cure Cayman’s problems, bring back Derek Haines, bring back the task force, get the helicopter up and running. There is no doubt some of these things may help, but they are not going to have a significant impact on crime. Crime stems from society, not GTPS, the crime wave has been developing for the last ten years or so, it was there before Ivan, it certainly was not as bad, but it was there, it was just never reported as all we had media wise was a government influenced Cayman Compass, which did not seem inclined to report bad news (that has changed now though). We have to identify what the root causes of crime are, which is an issue that stems from society, not GTPS, the RCIP is not responsible for the moral decline of the island, society is.

  17. Anonymous says:

    Thank you CITA. As a Caymanian who does not work in the tourism sector, I would like to say that I support everything that the CITA board has put out in this announcement. It is of the utmost importance that all of us make it very clear to our politicians as well as the Governor and the Police Commissioner that we expect and demand that they will take whatever measures are necessary to end the violent crime that is destroying our country. The Governor and the Police Commissioner have their roles. It is our elected politicians who need to strengthen our laws relating to punishment, parole and bail in order to make our communities safe. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Didn’t you all notice? The government has been much too busy providing everything the financial industry is demanding – including changes to immigration policy that will no doubt contribute further to the unemployment of Caymanians – to pay any attention to the tourism industry!!!! It seems to me that the tourism industry has been ignored and until now CITA has done little to contest the governments actions. Well folks, this is the result and sadly our tourism product will continue to decline and we the Caymanian people will continue to be the losers.

  18. Twyla Vargas says:

    I do believe that the Cayman Islands Police Force want to step up their vigilent stance against crime in the community, but what the public and CITA dont know is that there is too much beauracy being handed down from the top.  

     (1)  In many instances police are not allowed to carry out their duties in full force.    Why?  Because number one, if you do not have  top Cops showing agressiveness  towards crime, the officers can do nothing besides chase crimials with a flashlight.

    (2)   The Complaints and decipline department of the police force need to stop babysitting crimials when they complain about Bull $%#& bout police officers.    Remember, not ony bushes have ears, walls have ears too.

    (3)    The public need to decide.   They cannot have their cake and eat it too.   Meaning if you want the crimes to stop, then stop harassing the police, and let them do their job.  Stop running to your MLA .   The police oficers are also made from flesh and blood, they too have  feelings like me and you.    Although there is good and bad in all camps. After all who else do we have to protect us?

     

  19. anonymous says:

    nothing short of a dictatorship will solve cayman’s growing crime problems.  long live the 4th Reich!  i imagine that a few innocent expats will be sent to the gallows with the guilty.  there’s always some unfortunate jamaican who "looks" guilty.  the more arrests, the better the public will feel – no evidence necessary.  welcome to the new republic of afghcamaynistan.

    • Anonymous says:

      we already have dictatorship.  Where you been? in a rock hole? cave?

      Here is the list:

      Thou shalt not wear red, take red out of the flag, take red out of Christmas, no red stationary, no red tinsels, no red paper, no red carpet, no red ribbon, no red presents, etc.

      These things have really happened.