WB restaurant robbed again
(CNS): A small restaurant and coffee shop in West Bay was targeted by robbers on Tuesday night a mere two weeks after an earlier robbery at the same place. Police said that just before 9:30pm last night (1 February) two masked men entered Tim Buc Tuu restaurant on Town Hall Road, West Bay armed with what appeared to be a handgun. The robbers threatened restaurant staff before fleeing the scene via the rear door with a sum of cash. The suspects are described as being around 5ft 10 inches in height and wearing dark clothing. They both had their faces covered. No shots were fired and no-one was injured in the incident. The restaurant was also victim to two robbers on 15 January when robbers also threatened staff and made off with takings and tips. (Photos Dennie Warren Jr)
This is the sixth armed robbery of 2011, less than five weeks into the year, and comes in the wake of police crime statistics that revealed some 64 robberies were committed during 2011.
Anyone who was in the area at the relevant time and witnessed the robbery or the men running off from the scene should contact West Bay police station on 949 – 3999 or the confidential Crime Stoppers number 800-8477 (TIPS).
Meanwhile, fire examiners are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fire in a car which occurred around 8pm yesterday night while it was parked in the Compass Centre car park. The car’s engine is believed to have been on fire and firemen removed the gas tank after putting out the smouldering fire in the vehicle.
Category: Headline News
These criminals are not scared. There are no consequences to the crimes they are committing. The criminals know there is no way that the police can stop them. The criminals have guns, the police do not! That is a huge problem. These police to not want to enter a gun fight with their own flesh. Who would want that? For those that think the police having guns wouldn’t curb crime, do some research! It is a proven fact that guns can curb crime. There is no way that a criminal is going to go to the same place again, if theywere scared the first time they robbed it. They literally can walk into a place and demand money and it will be handed over. Why? There is nothing for the criminal to fear, those who fear are the good working class people. Not to mention that crimes are not being solved. XXXX At this point, non Caymanian police is what is needed on the Island. Men or women that don’t know the locals is the way to go. They won’t show any mercy because of someone’s last name, who went to school with who, who’s mom is friends with who, etc… The police are too close to the criminals in more than one way.
People can say well the US is worse, well it is because of the population. I never ever fear walking into an establishment. We don’t have crimes like that here in NJ. The crime happens when most are sleeping. Yes businesses get robbed, but not when customers are present, not during the day or early evening hours. Cayman’s population is way too low to be having all this crime. Please Please Please get the Island cleaned up. it is not only scary for residents but people are backing out of coming to the Island to visit! No tourism for Cayman, means criminals will be running your Island more than they already are. Stand up and fight these SOB’s. They are weak cowards!
There were recent statistics shared by Baines and the RCIP showing that serious crime had only increased slightly over last year.
How about this exercise- can an article be done on crime rates since 2000 and see how the graph looks?
I think it may be revealing!
I believe that business owners should all go straight to the Governor and Premier and demand that urgent actions be taking against crime. Trust me when I say that soon it’ll be a blood bath in Cayman, these punks have got the RCIP scared. Baines, please do us all a favor and leave asap you^ve have made Cayman a very unsafe place to live and have a complete overhaul of the RCIPS. Serious questions need to be asked of Customs and Immigration as well.This also goes for the Attorney General who we know have promised to make changes and set up stronger border protection ansd security resources and has failed to deliver and our Judicial System.
Tim Buk Tu is the kind of small business we need in West Bay yet along with Alfresco has suffered from break ins and arm robberies. This being just 3 minutes drive from the WB Police station so makes you wonder what we’re paying them for. Here is my theory start checking this coastline as there’s a good possibility that these robbers are using marine vessels for transportation.
Due to Cayman’s geographical location we have become a main area not only for drugs and firearm smuggling but also human trafficking. It’s so sad that how our beautiful island has falling through the cracks due to lack of leadership, moral values and gang culture, so much for progress to lose your culture. I am all for freedom of speech and expression yet baggie clothes and gangster music has ruin the lives of our young people, agree with me or not. BET and other music channels that promotes this sort of lifestyles should be banned. As a Caymanian currently living in Europe I pray for the safety of my family, friends, residents and tourist and I plan to visit in Easter with friends yet to be honest I’m now a bit hesitant to do so. Tourist are now seeing that Cayman isn’t "any longer the little island that time forgot" rather more an island full of crime. Please residents get out and start taking action and don’t depend on politicians and the RCIPS, DO IT NOW.
Blessings to all.
K Powery
Bet they modified the car with one of those aftermarket computer chips
I think we need to tie one of those big yellow tapes around the whole island.
Either we live in the wild west, in which case lets get some guns into the hands of the law abiding citizens, or we don’t, in which case RCIPS needs to sort this mess out yesterday.
Seriously it can’t be that hard. There are 50,000 people here. Take out females and you’ve got about 25,000. Take out anyone under 12 and anyone over 40 and you’ve got about 10,000. Take out people who are attending school or full time work and you’ve got no more than 1,000. Take out the ones that don’t mooch around like gangstas and you’ve got a few hundred people. Rule out the ones that could not have done it (ie. reliable alibis, already locked up, off island etc) and you’ve probably got 100 people maximum that could be doing the robberies. Go kick their doors down, search them, search their cars and houses and make their life a misery until you get the robbers and the guns off the street.
It might be time to march to the police station and demand some answers.
You know this is really getting OLD.When are our Leg members going to DEMAND that something be done and stop all this BS as we are going to lose our very foundation of tourism VERY soon.Already I am getting emails from long time visitors who are asking what the HELL IS going on down here.These are our bread and butter folks and if you think I am joking wait and see what WILL happen if our elected govt does not get up off their backsides and show some backbone for a change.We cannot continue to sweep this under carpet any longer.Time is running out.
“When are our Leg members going to DEMAND that something be done….”
Not until it is their homes or businesses being robbed!
RCIPS obtained an A+ again: I see the yellow tape – they good at getting it out and I see (likely) officers standing near the front door – photo op and chatting.
Am willing to bet zero coordination. I can predict where the police cars came to the scene from: straight up church street and turned right at the 4-way.
This is a shame… again…..I was hoping that the new command in west bay would change things but am seeing a similiar result – NOTHING. This zero capture and convictions is only fueling the continuation of these robberies.
Seriously? Why hasn’t the cheif of police been sacked yet? This is rediculous…
I like the facts the other poster has pointed out, but the government or RCIPS seems to actually tell you.
* Cayman is 15th in world for robberies (1.16 per 1,000 people which is actually ahead of Jamaica)
* #7 in the world for murders (.1272 per 1,000 people)
* Compared to the US, the UK, let’s just look at stats, 5 more crimes per 1000 people: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_tot_cri_percap-crime-total-crimes-per-capita
Notice who has the higher overall crime rate.
Those are facts, no opinions or conjecture.
Ahead of Jamaica in robberies…Sheesh
93% of all stats are inaccurate … but seriously. The figures you quote are misleading because of what Cayman calls ‘a robbery’. In most countries ROBBERY means … walking into a commercial business with a weapon of some kind and demanding cash.
In Cayman, when a house is broken into they call it … a robbery … whereas in most countries this is referred to as breaking and entering.
Crime is crime, none is preferred… just wanted a little clarification on the numbers.
Perhaps. But from what I understand from reading from the UK website, they may have sub categories, but robbery is robbery.
In fact, if you take your assumption, perhaps it is even worse in the UK if you lumped the two different ones together as compared to Cayman which lumps them together.
http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/countrobbery10.pdf
The point is that Cayman is slowly rising to the top of crime, and becoming just another crime ridden Caribbean (BOT or former BOT) country. This saddens me as the Caymanian people are wonderful people and it seems they have little to say about what and how the RCIPS tackle crime due to the nature of the setup and who has oversight for the police force.
The police needs to be all over this area like Oprah on a baked ham. As a visitor at the Kittiwake I was taking a lunch break at this location last week. The wreck is fabulous; props to all involved. But the criminal element better be addressed ASAP and I don’t mean on island time.
It is so obvious that Robberies are much more serious crime’s especially when tourist’s are around. But for some reason, the RCIPS Comissioner and his deputy cohorts, always seems to direct their officers and places the emphasis on persons selling intoxicating liquor without a licence, traffic violations and selling lottery tickets etc.
The RCIPS “big wigs” are so out of touch with reality in the Cayman Islands today. What a joke recently to hear the Commissioner stating that the Cayman Islands is now being used as a transhipment point for drugs into the US and Europe ??
That has been the case for the past 20+ years !!
If the Comissioner has now become aware of this, with all the assets available to him including a sophisticated helicopter and three police vessels, when was the last time you heard a Jamaican canoe intercepted with drugs and guns at seas, near out territorial waters ??
WAKE UP Comissoner Baines, is the “scuba air” clouding your upstairs ??
If i owned a restaurant, gas station etc that was suffering in this way i would consider banning cash sales after dark. i understand that intially this would affect business but i would rather shut up shop than sit with a pile of cash waiting to be hit every night.
Businesses could ask customers if they could pay with debit or credit card, but ultimately, cash is legal tender for the settlement of debts, so cannot be refused or banned by a business.
Similarly, businesses cannot say they won’t take $100 bills after a good or service has been procured (or consumed). The merchant is obliged to accept all legal tender and give change.