Police issue warning after overnight break-ins on 7MB

| 17/03/2010

(CNS): Following a number of burglaries and attempted break-ins along Seven Mile Beach overnight officers from the Royal Cayman Islands Police are urging people to make sure that they lock their doors and windows before going to bed. Between 1.00am and 2.45am this morning, Wednesday 17 March the Grand Cayman Beach Suites, the Westin and Silver Sands Condos were targeted by burglars. Police said in all of the incidents they had got inside the various premises as a result of unsecured doors or windows. Police described two of the men that may have been involved in at least one incident as slim build, dressed in Black and around 5’9’, while a third was wearing a pink top.

Police said that shortly after 1.00 am they received the first report that a storage area at the Grand Cayman Beach Suites had been broken into. It is not yet known what has been stolen. Then at about 2.20 am a man who was staying at the Westin awoke to find two men in his room. The men ran off empty handed. A short time later police received a report that 2 cell phones and a small amount of cash had been taken from a condo within Silver Sands.

Around the same time, a second condo in the complex was targeted and a woman awoke to find a man rummaging through her purse. She struggled with the burglar and he made off with a small amount of cash. During the struggle the victim sustained slight hand injuries, but did not require any medical attention.

 “Today officers will be meeting with the condominium owners to reinforce the need for guests to make sure that they keep doors and windows closed and secured,” said Inspector Dane Pinnock of West Bay. “It is tempting, particularly on humid nights, to leave windows and doors open – however we need to work together to cut down the opportunities available for thieves on the island.”

Detective Sergeant Winsome Prendergast, the officer investigating the incidents, described the men believed to have broken into the Westin as slim build, dressed in black and about 5’9” in height.

“The male who was disturbed at the Silver Sands appears to have been wearing a pinkish coloured sweatshirt,” she said. “We are conducting scenes of crime examination and talking to people within the complexes to find out if they have any information which could assist us.”

Anyone with information can call George Town CID on 949-4222, alternatively they can call Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS).

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  1. Rich Conners says:

    Our condo in Lacovia was broken into, we are not on the ocean, but were robbed nonetheless on 15 MAR 2009. It occurred during the hours of 2am – 6am, as I was up for a restroom break at 2am.

    Our windows were forced open and the contents in our front walkway area were stolen including my shoes, my wife’s purse, a bronze statue and our home/car keys.

    In 9 years I’ve never felt so embarrassed for the RCIPS. Bring back Derek Haines, he’ll stop this **** show.

     

  2. Anonymous says:

    To Cayman vacation.

    Please don’t let these reports deter your plans, take the many comments you see as an inability to process real world sensibilities with, well, the real world.

    If you lived in many places and left your windows, doors, cars open, your valuables unguarded what would you expect? Cayman is safe, it just hasn’t caught up with the rest of the world in terms of dealing with the change. It is not the Cayman of yesteryear, but it is generally safe.

    I’ve been robbed, caught up in bomb threats, some a hoax, some not, I’ve been less than half a mile from a major London bombing, in a bar if you must know, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, snowstorms (not all in Cayman)!

    Jist of the comment is you can not plan everything in your life, you can make wise choices, be aware of your situation and act accordingly.

    PS I’ve been here over 15 years and not one of the ‘bad’ things happened here. The ‘bad’ things will not stop me returning to the US, UK, Canada…

  3. Anon says:

    "…said Inspector Dane Pinnock of West Bay. “It is tempting, particularly on humid nights, to leave windows and doors open – however we need to work together to cut down the opportunities available for thieves on the island.”

    What about working together to crack down on the thieves themselves?

  4. scrumpyone says:

    These are sad times indeed.

    There seems to be a crime; be it petty theft, burglary, gang fighting or most worryingly murder reported on a far more frequent basis than ever before.

    The RCIP need to get a firm grip on the situation & there needs to be a far more effective deterrent put in place by the court.

    I pray for you & your people Grand Cayman.

     

  5. Anonymous says:

    I don’t think they read Burglary 101.  Perhaps not a good idea to wear a pink top while out stealing!

    • Anonymous says:

      So true, and it proves that we are dealing with complete amateurs here. A burglar wearing a pink top has got to be very stupid or very brazen.

      Hopefully it is the first one and his stupidity will give him away pretty soon. Unfortunately it is probably the second and it goes to show that these criminals have no deterrant to committing these crimes. They are confident that the police won’t even catch them wearing dayglo clothing!  This also means they are getting even more cocky. We already have nightclub shootings with 150 witnesses who all played dumb, daylight bank robberies etc etc. The crims are running riot and think they are invincible, which they pretty much are.

      On the off chance they got caught, they would get a couple of months ‘all inclusive’ at Northward retreats luxury spa hotel.

  6. Anonymous says:

     "…while a third was wearing a pink top."

    Hahah. Someone didn’t get the memo. What is he? The Toothfairy?

  7. Anonymous says:

    Now’s the time for condo owners to let people have dogs to protect their properties there is plenty of dogs available at the shelter here.One little bark and thats burgular thinks twice!

  8. Anonymous says:

    Enough is enough.

    When will the RCIP get out of their cars and start patrolling on foot like police are supposed to do?

    Obviously, sitting in their vehicles or playing their sirens is having no effect on the rapidly increasing crime scene on Grand Cayman.

    The criminals here will continue to run rings around the RCIP until the RCIP mounts a strong personal armed presence on our streets and beaches, particularly during the late night and early morning hours.

    When will this happen? Who is preventing it from happening?

     

  9. NorthSideSue says:

    Every one of these crime reports gets posted on Trip Advisor.  Be assured that folks WILL rethink vacationing in GC.

    • Anonymous says:

      And the police now are having a meeting with the condo owners on having their guests secure their property.  One would think by now the condo owners should have given the guest a little bit of advice…but no as usual everyone is in denial "we don’t have crime, we don’t have gangs, we don”t, we don”t we dont!!!

    • Michael says:

      I bet if it were Bush, Thomson or the Governors house they would be caught!

    • Cayman Vacation says:

      Exactly!  In fact, that’s how I found out about this news service – via a link on Trip Advisor.

      I have heard wonderful reviews of Grand Cayman from family and friends, so we booked an early June family vacation.   We were quite excited until I stumbled upon some discussions about crime on Trip Advisor. 

      I’ve been reading this site daily and I’ve been reading the comments for each article.  I’m sad to say that yesterday we calculated the cost for changing our airline tickets and the money we would lose on our house rental deposit. 

      We want to come to your island and learn about your culture.  We’re avid travelers and with each excursion, we go to great lengths to teach our children about the country’s history, customs, culture, and practices.  We also arrange meetings with native people of the area so they can share first-hand experiences with our children.  It is an amazing learning experience and one we wanted to experience on Grand Cayman.

      Unfortunately we are now concerned about safety on the island and we’re trying to decide whether we should come.

      But this isn’t all about us.  It’s about YOU.  We can change our tickets and rent a house in a different location.  But you live there.  I see so many comments saying that "something" needs to be done about the gangs and crime.  Make it happen!  Put pressure on your police staff and your government!  Hold a peaceful demonstration to make them take notice!  Implement a neighborhood watch service!  Create new jobs by increasing security patrols!  Report anything and everything that seems suspicious!  Tell these youngsters you will not allow them to ruin your great island!

       

       

       

      • Anonymous says:

        I would encourage you to continue with your trip. The majority of visitors & residents never experience a crime against them. That is a bit like the everywhere else, I feel. Be careful, just as you would be in your home city/town and you will havea good time and enjoy our country. I do the same when I visit yours and never have a problem.

  10. DoomsDayClock says:

    The good scientists that adjust the Dooms Day Clock have just moved the Cayman "End of the good life as we know it" version to DEFCON 4.  Get out while you still have the chance!

  11. Anonymous says:

    Stop & and search EVERYONE(including younger people)  just walking up and down the streets with their back pack (containing what?)day  and especially nights, they are being idle and probably up to nothing good.  Please arrrest them or question them in accordance with the police law that says’ you have the right to confirm that residents have a means of income and a place of abode,’ many of these people are not working (by choice) and have been thrown out of their homes because families will not tolerate their careless behaviours(finally) so they choose to support their partying, addictions, laziness by robbing & stealing.

    • Anonymous says:

      I work in the inner city and the teenagers that live there know that they need to be walking to a JOB or they are going to be patted down by patrol, have their pictures taken and hassled "just for walking down the street too slowly" or "chillin on the curb". Bottom line! They tell me that they now would rather just "chill at home" or "stay at school" instead of be hassled. Hmmmm….it is working!

      • Anonymous says:

         Oh yeah, declare  war on youth: search and sieze, make them fear authority and violate their constitutional rights. That will show them!

        While you’re at it, give them a crappy education, no after school programmes, and certainly not addiction counselling.

        Remove and destroy any vestige of social safety net they might have.

        Good luck with that… 

         

  12. Anonymous says:

    Cayman was one of the few places in the Caribbean (and perhaps one of the last places in the world), where one could leave the windows and doors open to breathe in the salty night air and rest easy doing so.  Until recently, we didn’t even lock our cars at night.  It is lamentable that in the recent (post-Ivan) period our collective trust in our fellow man has been degraded so much by so few.    

    • Law and Order says:

      I came in 2005 and bolted a few years later.  I think I got to see the twilight days of the golden age of Cayman, before the Island’s businesses collapsed and crime became the way of life for the people of Cayman (either doing it, being a victim of it, or being afraid of it). 

      I liked what I saw, and I didn’t lock the doors.  Then I woke up one day and thought about the new locks on the doors and the new bars on the windows, the alarm on the car and the machete on one side of the bed and the baseball bat on the other, and I knew the sun had set on the golden age of Cayman and that it was time to go.5b$R$