$50K for gun crime info

| 20/09/2011

(CNS): Cayman Crime Stoppers is now offering a $50,000 for the conviction of anyone involved in gun related crimes, including the latest gang related murders and robberies as a result of backing from the Cayman Islands Government. Launching an official appeal for the community to come forward concerning the latest spate of gun violence, the Cayman arm of the crime watchdog said information that came through their tips line, 800 TIPS which led to arrest and conviction on these serious crimes would now earn the tipster the new large cash sum of $50K from the original $1,000 reward.

Eric Bush appealed to members of the public to call the anonymous Cayman Crime Stoppers tips line with any information regarding the latest shootings. “The Cayman Crime Stoppers tips‐line guarantees callers’ absolute anonymity,” Bush said. “Calls are answered by our call‐centre in Miami and callers are never asked to disclose their details, so there is no way they can be traced or identified by name.”

Cayman Crime Stoppers is able to offer a reward for information which proves valuable in solving a crime, and callers are given a unique code which they can use to make a claim. Theynever have to disclose their identity. 

Last week during a debate on crime in the Legislative Assembly the premier said he planned to boost the Crime Stoppers reward. McKeeva Bush had said he would be discussing with Cabinet the possibility of government sponsoring a raise in the reward for gun and gang crime, as a result of the continued rise in serious crime. Over the last few months crime on the Cayman Islands has becoming increasingly violent, with innocent victims being seriously wounded in robberies, the introduction of car-jackings and a series of extremely violent gang killings which began just one week ago.

This is not the first time, however, that large rewards have been offered via Crime Stoppers, with local community groups and businesses raising money to sponsor or boost the reward. Fidelity and Butterfield banks both upped the regular $1,000 reward to $50,000 following armed daylight robberies at their respective George Town branches and dms boosted the money raised by Anna Evans' family to offer a reward of $50,000 for information on her disappearance from the George Town landfill in January of this year.

More recently, Caybrew offered $50,000 for information leading to a conviction of the gunmen responsible for shooting Kemar Golding, its assistance brewer, who was shot in the eye during an attempted robbery at a jerk chicken stand' and $40K was also offered by the RCIPS and Osbourne Bodden for information in connection with the robbery of one of his workers at his gas station in Bodden Town. However, none of these boosted rewardshave led to any charges in any of the crimes.
 
The Cayman Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line is 800‐TIPS (that is, 800 8477) and the police are now begging people to get information to them any way they can in order to help them arrest the suspects, as they say without some form of evidence they are powerless to remove the gunmen from the streets.

The Cayman Crime Stoppers number is one of around 1200 Crime Stoppers programmes in 20 countries. The local branch is a non‐profit civilian run organization but all the calls are answered in Miami, Florida.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    If you remain anonymous how do they know who to give the money too? You get a secret number and if a conviction is made you call them back and give um your code?Just wonderin…

    • Anonymous says:

      YES!  You get a code and call back.  They will keep you updated on the status of your tip.  Then, if a conviction is made you call back with your code.  The reward money is confidentially sent to wherever you would like, cash.

      Crime Stoppers DOES work – if people would only call in what they know!

  2. Anonymous says:

    I reported 2 crimes once over the phone.

    They lost the data in both cases.

    Crimestoppers does not work.

    • Anonymous says:

      Would love to know how you know they lost the data when it is an anonymous conduit and they would not contact you nor would they give you information.  Maybe you;re talking about a different tip line but ot Crimestoppers.

      It is very irresponsible to make a general comment that Crimestoppers doesn't work when we're in the midst of unprecedented crime levels – you should be encouraging people to call them not discouraging them.  Making comments like these makes you as bad as the criminals themselves.  Pathetic.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Can I get all the reward if I report all the local thugs who put put up pictures of themselves and their guns on Facebook or would I have to split the reward with the thugs seeing as they put up the pictures which the police apparently can't find?

  4. Anonymous says:

    Been tried before (remember the police cruiser that was allegedly shot at?) and didn't work then, why should this be any different?

  5. Anonymous says:

    I wish I could find out then I could afford some security!!

  6. Anonymous says:

    Great. There is a recently serving politician who illegally fired a gun in a “domestic” disturbance some years ago. Where do I get my 50k? What’s that you say? You already know about it, and did nothing? Oh, silly me.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Arresting in Cayman in most cases leads to to not quilty verdict. So what is the point?

  8. Anonymous says:

    Can people also report via http://www.crimestoppers.ky/ ?

    Or do they prefer calls only?

    • Anonymous says:

      Tips can be submitted either way – through the call centre in Miami at 800-TIPS (800-8477) or through the "Report a Crime" button on the Cayman Crime Stoppers website at http://www.crimestoppers.ky .  Both methods are completely anonymous and confidential.  Tipsters are given a unique code number that they can use to check back later to claim a reward.

  9. peter milburn says:

    I sincerely hope this new amount will help as we certainly need all the help we can get.

  10. Time for action says:

    Good.  For $50K a tipster can start a new life without the criminal that has held them down.

    • Anonymous says:

      That's $50k EACH.  So, if there are 20 punks in each gang, that's $2,000,000 in prize money…then we can move on to the GT, BT, EE gangs.  

  11. Nothing - new says:

    The answer to all of Cayman's Problems is to throw money at at it.

  12. Hmmm says:

    Well I know one ting… unneh better hope I dont see nothing because I'm spilling the beans and taking my 50 bills.

     

  13. Anonymous says:

    Have authorities ever thought of the fact that people do not say anything about any cirmes is because they are terrorized of them and their families being targetted after speaking. A lot of people know who is responsible for the shootings, but they will not speak because they are afraid. There should be some kind of protection offerred to those giving tips becuase they will most likely end up dead like the ones already shot if they speak. Something has to be done about our crime situation and money sometimes is not enough but peace of mind.

    • Anonymous says:

      Call is anonymous and you are given a code to redeem your prize, if you'd accept one for doing the right thing.

    • Anonymous says:

      A lot of the witnesses are criminals themselves and are afraid of geting ratted out themselves if they talk to the police. You need undercover work. The families will NEVER turn them and it is stupid to keep calling for this.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Conviction is the key word

  15. Na Bizness! says:

    Feel sorry for the phone operators in Miami.  The whole west bay is gonna be calling in today.

  16. EYE ON THE ISLAND says:

    That's the way to go. That will bring out the information. $$$$$

  17. Anonymous says:

    Attn: gang bangers and crack heads…stated another way, 20 convictions = CI$1,000,000!  

  18. Anonymous says:

    "Cayman Crime Stoppers is now offering a $50,000 for the conviction"

    There's the problem – this is dependent on a conviction……we seem to fall woefully short in the conviction department.

    • Anonymous says:

      True, only if convicted.  Police will have to make sure they have all their ''ducks in a row''

      and get the proper evidence for convictions.

      It's not right that the country should have to pay big money for something that people

      should be doing for nothing…''coming forward''

      But if it helps convict the ones doing the killing…that's what they need now…

    • My2cents says:

      Well DUH….people need to come forward with information in order to secure a conviction. You can't have one without the other.

      • Anonymous 8:38 says:

        hmmmm – sounds simple doesn't it?  I seem to recall the last 2 murder trials ended in not guilty even WITH eye witnesses.  Apparently the people that hang out in the areas, where they are likely to see these crimes are not considered credible.  What we need is for the bad guy to kindly leave some DNA at the scene