Top cop says officers are getting overseas experience

| 20/03/2012

baines.jpg(CNS): The police commissioner has said that several officers from the RCIPS have already been sent on attachment and training courses overseas where they have gained new crime fighting experiences. He said several officers have gone to major cities in the UK to work with serious crime units there and more will be going in the coming weeks. He also said others have been sent on training programmes with the FBI in the United States. Baines said the local police force was constrained by its budget when it came to sending staff abroad for training but he said the RCIPS still seized every possible opportunity for officers to gain experience in other jurisdictions.

David Baines spoke about the various training his officers were undergoing while answering questions in finance committee last week. As members voted for an additional $2million opposition member Anthony Eden asked if officers were being sent abroad to address what people believe are failings in investigative capabilities.

The commissioner also revealed that he was in the process of recruiting 54 officers and that soon the staffing levels on all shifts would be at their full compliment. He said 40 people had been identified but in some cases these officers had to work out long notice periods in the UK before they could start work here.  He said officers were being recruited mostly from Britain, Canada and Jamaica.

Baines also noted that as staffing levels improved which would mean he would not have to ‘rob’ one police for another in the wake of a serious incident, he said this would also lead to rebuilding community policing and the possible return of ‘live-in’ police officers with their families in the district stations at North Side and East End.

Asked about staff changes he said around 10% of the staff were being moved around to get a better mix of experienced officers with new recruits and help develop younger officers. Baines said that he was aware that change was not always welcome but his goal was to prevent the police from working in silos. The changes he said had been carefully planned and also reflected the promotion of several officers.

He also denied speculation that ex-pat officers were being given favourable conditions and working the 9-5 shifts. He said all staff were mixed up and were working across the five different shifts. The commissioner said it may be what people perceive but it was not the reality as there was no discrimination in the service.

 

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  1. Anonymous says:

    So here we go again! The good ole RCIPS needs more Police Officers. Recruitment is being done from the UK & other countries. Please tell us sir, have you recruited any Caymanians. When are we going to read about the 1st graduates of 2012 from the Training Unit that is so prestigious down there on SMB.

    Surely, we must have some Caymanian applicants, out of the 20 or so that you need to bring the Service up to full complement are there any Caymanians being hired?

  2. Anonymous says:

    Poor Baines! The problem that he has is, at the same time that he hosted a sell out crowd at the police ball (Vicki Weaton did a fab job by the way and it was enjoyable) they were robbing the islands capital at gun point. When he issued stats saying crime was down, the local polls showed the public was fearful that crime was worse than ever and certainly more violent than ever! I feel for him as the public has no confidence in him which pretty much means it’s an up hill climb and it seems he can do no right. Perhaps he needs to do some soul searching and decide if he really can change the islands crime with his current force as it stands; does he have confidence in the force? And as for the good cops in theforce, do they have confidence in him? Is he equipped to handle the unique issues of these islands? Only time will tell, but too bad time is not on our side. For now, as much as I like the man I wish to see less of him at the cocktail parties and on the Ugland yacht and prefer to imagine that he’s rolling up his sleeves and doing the job. Good luck to you Sir,sincerely.

    • Anonymous says:

      Wasn't the RCIPS given quite alot of funds to fight crimes on two separate occassions????

  3. Anonymous says:

    This is not news, we were told months ago they were recruiting. These are not new to this month posts, and most of them are exisiting vacancies.  You have short memories, remember our gangs were going to war, now they're quiet.  That hasn't happened through non effective policing!  Just saying!

  4. COMMANDER says:

    How many born Caymanians have gotten this opportunity Mr Baines.  Please tell us.

    • Anonymous says:

      Quite a few actually!

    • Anonymous says:

      What has 'born Caymanian' go to do with being Caymanian?  Half of our goverment members were not born here.

      Who is more Caymanian?  A Caymanian that was born here and spent most of his life living abroad or a Caymanian that was not born here (for one reason or another) but spent his or her entire life here.  I use this as an excample because it is real!

      I feel the term 'born Caymanian' has been introduced to distinguish status holders as different, but the law does not. 

      • Alan Nivia says:

        It has everything to do with everything if you are a myopic little islander with a chip on your shoulder.

      • Born Caymanian says:

        What has born Caymanian has to do with being aCaymanian?.
        Ok let me explain: A born Caymanian is one who has two feet on this soil, not one who has one foot on here and the other foot somewhere else.
        A born Caymanian is one who builds a home here with a backyard garden.
        A born Cayman is one who puts his money in Barclays Bank(First Caribbean) Nova Scotia or Royal Bank.
        A born Caymanian visits, and supports local restaurants, eat curried chicken & white rice turtle stew, stew conch, codfish and ackee, rundown and drink lemonaide and carrot juice.
        A born Caymanian talks to people whether they are foreign or native.
        A born Caymanian drink at Mango Tree, Mac Donalds, Wellys, or Blue Marlyn.
        A Born Caymanian eat local mangoes, fried sprats, and Easter Bun.
        A born Caymanian is friendly to every one, saying good morning and good evening, and do not try to claim the beaches or all the lobsters in the sea.
        Should I go on??????????????

        • Anonymous says:

          Most of the things you mention are either not particular to Cayman or else decidedly foreign.  Barclay's?  Headquartered in Enland.  Royal Bank?  Do you mean the Canadian one, or the Scottish one?  Bank of Nova Scotia?  This one's really too obvious.  Easter bun is widely known to be Jamaican, and in any case it's just a variation of the English hot cross bun.  Talking to and greeting everyone?  Canadians and Australians are known for this too…so are lots of other nationalities.  Codfish, lemonade, carrot juice, curried chicken?  I'm sure you're aware that these exist in other places.

          Stewed conch, ackee and turtle are regional favourites, I grant you…but not only in Cayman.  

           

          This reminds me of the time I took my mother-in-law to Pedro's Castle, and showed her the displays depicting life in old-time Cayman.  She was disappointed, because it was all so similar to her own life growing up in Ireland.  She was expecting something much more exotic.

           

          We really are much more alike than you think.  Why do we feel this need to define ourselves so narrowly, when in fact our experiences are fairly universal?  Born in Cayman, born wherever…I would make a much different list of traits I'd like to see in our local population.  

           

           

          • Anonymous says:

            You are right most of the things listed came from somewhere else, but it is still our way .

            The problem with some persons not from here is thay have no respect for the Caymanian people or our culture, so i ask you please be careful  what you do in this respect because the rope is now very short, you know very well that i cannot go to your country and disrespect you, and of cource i would not, when bad thing start to happen you will say that we are bad people,  but you are causeing something that you will not be able to control, the children is talking and it is not good what i hear so enough is enough.

             the middle east has been made the way thay are because of the same disrepect to there culture and peoples read there history to see what was done to them and india plus a lot more countries, i guess its our turn now because we have decided to wake up, read and find the truth.

            Remember you have no right to feel you are any better that anyone, look at your schools in the us and also in england what are there graduation rate, how many can read  well, you have the same problems we have and more and dont lie i can read and i read  your newspapers, by the way your people is wakeing up too and that is good, so stop burning your bridges some day you may not be able to run from country to country rapeing there culture, identity and lieing just for money, do not make enemys everywhere you go because of your greed.

            I have the feeling that you would like us to shut up and let you do what you want to us, if we dont then we are evil and fool but you are the only fool i see burning  bridges where ever you go, i know i love my country and so do you i hope, so please do not wake up the demon in the box  you may not be able to get him back in.

            In other words leave us alone work among us, you dont have to be our friend but respect us, this is one of the last peaceful places for you to go to, and am sure when you cant bleed us anymore like now you will try to distroy us  before you leave to find some other country  to do the same thing to.

            The ex-pats that came years before you were our friends they came to make money but they knew that for things to stay peaceful they let us have some too but you want it all no matter what happens to the Cayman people, well the chickens came home to roost, good luck to you and good luck to us also because we will feel it too.

            • Anonymous says:

              It is easy to "hear" that you are angry and afraid for your future, but I think you have misunderstood my post.  I was not attempting to criticize Caymanians, or make myself an enemy.  I was pointing out that we are more similar than we are different, that we share many of the same cultural foundations, and that there is therefore no need for us to define ourselves as "us" and "them".   Respect is a two-way street.

              • Anonymous says:

                Also, I might just point out that, without knowing anything at all about me (including my country of origin), you have just accused me of deceit, greed, rape and plunder.  I am sure you won't be surprised to learn that I am offended by these false accusations.

                 

                There is no point in asking me to build bridges if you are clearly so intent upon burning them.

            • Anonymous says:

              You know, your last point seems a little off to me.  The "expats that came before" may have been your friends, but perhaps that is because you were more welcoming to them.  Don't get me wrong — I understand that it is different now.  Those first few expats had several key advantages over the current crop.  First, they were a novelty. Second, there were fewer of them, so they were less likely to have been perceived as a threat.  Finally, they must have seemed a great boon to you at the time, since they brought with them money, jobs, clientele — a whole new way of life.  You welcomed that, and them, at the time, but now perhaps you feel you've had too much of a good thing.

               

              I was convinced to come here by one of your "expats who came before".  He raved about  the friendly relationship between expatriates and local people.  He was here in the 70s.  By the time I got here in the early 90s, the Caymanians I met were friendly, yes, but not overly welcoming.   Again, I understand.  By now, you have seen thousands of us come and go.  We are no longer a novelty, and I'm sure you get tired of explaining your culture over and over again to fresh crops of expatriates on their first overseas assignments and still convinced that home is the best place on earth.  I get it.   It's not a very welcoming feeling, is all I'm saying.  

               

              If you decide that you need and want expatriates to live on as part of the local community (and I understand it is your choice), then you may want to reconsider just how welcome those expatriates feel.  Those who came in the 70s were made to feel a part of the culture, from what I understand; those who come now are by and large kept at arm's length, for all the reasons cited above.  Reason or not, it certainly can't help, and probably harms, their general attitude toward Cayman.  

               

               

               

        • Anonymous says:

          Reread your list please "born Caymanian" and try to go beyond what you eat or drink. Cayman is changing and the real Caymanians are no longer so homogeneous.

        • Anonymous says:

          You pretty much just described me and I'm one of those "evil" expats.  Do go on… I'd love to hear more.

        • Judean People's Front says:

          yes .. running into the Mango tree, shouting 'daddy' and watch the whole bar turn around!

        • Anonymous says:

          a. I'm a born Caymanian and my money goes in Cayman National

          b. I don't know how anyone can have one foot here and one somewhere else. 

          c. A born Caymanian is one who builds a home here with a backyard garden- I have a black thumb.

          d. I don't like local restaurants much.  Too much heavy food. Curried chicken – Jamaican or Trinidadian isn't it?  turtle stew- yuck, stew conch- I can tolerate, codfish and ackee- Jamiacan, rundown- Caribbean and drink lemonaide- ok and carrot juice- yummy but more of a Jamaican thing again.

          e. Talks to people whether they are foreign or native – duh

          f. A born Caymanian drink at Mango Tree, Mac Donalds, Wellys, or Blue Marlyn – I saw mostly Jamaicans at Wellys but can'yt speak for the other two.

          g. A Born Caymanian eat local mangoes- yummy, fried sprats-never heard of this, and Easter Bun- Jamaican.

          h. A born Caymanian is friendly to every one, saying good morning and good evening, and do not try to claim the beaches or all the lobsters in the sea.- don't like the beach.  You can have it.  Lobsters are good.

          This is the craziest list to descibe a Caymanian that I have ever heard.

      • Anonymous says:

        Actually the law does distinguish. A mere status holder is of another nationality (by which he typically identifies) cannot vote or run for office and can have his status revoked. Generally he is not culturally Caymanian.

        The term 'born Caymanian' has been introduced because the Immigration Law created a legal fiction whereby both Caymanians and status holders are called Caymanians for certain purposes. However, it is used to mask discrimination against native Caymanians. Many partners in firms have been made 'Caymanians' but not many Caymanians have been made partners. Accordingly the firms get to hide behind statements about how many 'Caymanian' partners they have. 

        • Rights Said Fred says:

          This fetter on basic human rights would never stand a challenge against the UK government based on the ECHR.

    • Anonymous says:

       Probably all the ones who were qualified.  But that was not what you wanted to hear right?

  5. Cayman Triton says:

    Look at this place it is a running joke on one hand the commisioner is indifferent to crime happening yet he loses no opportunity to hire more foreign officers to suck up our money. every place in the world are making deep cuts to law enforcement not here. Mr Baines seem to have struck gold or oil. I now suggesting to all CNS and bloggers to please try and obtain a Copy of KPMG's report on Reforming police budgets dated 28th November 2011 and give to your government before this man puts us into direct taxation or bankrupts the government. seriously this BS needs to stop.

  6. Anonymous says:

    What a joke! this same old same old tired excuses we need more officers for and island with just over 55,000 people. The only way we going to change this is to remove this government who keep giving these people our money to contiually waste. More foreign officers to slurp up our economic life blood.

  7. Anonymous says:

    "Baines said the local police force was constrained by its budget when it came to sending staff abroad for training".

    Why is it that every time Baines opens his mouth it is, expressly or implicitly, to ask for more money but yet there are no measurable returns from the money already spent? Who holds the Police Commissioner to account? The Governor? The Deputy Governor? The National Security Council? Whoever it is is not doing their job and needs to be replaced.  

  8. Anonymous says:

    You can do all the training you can possibly get, but that won't be any good unless you are actually willing to do the job, and do it well!

    Where is the traffice dept? Why are no road laws enforced?????

    • Anonymous says:

      Anon 10;13

      I wonder the same..why so many road laws and regulations are broken?

      80% of drivers dont know where their indicators are! they never use them at round abouts. vehicles stopping in the middle of ythe road obstructing traffic, DARK tinted windows, over loaded trucks, trucks carrying  cargo tied down with thread, blinding head lights, where are the cops…how come they cant see these things. 

  9. Anonymous says:

    If they would get rid of the costly and wasteful helicoptor they would have more than enough money for the proper training.

    • Anonymous says:

      Based on what evidence? 

      • Anonymous says:

        Based on deployment of the helicopter to look for a lost police dog, due to an incompentent handler to start with.

  10. Savannah Resident says:

    Why the hell are we hiring more police officer staff again?  Jesus we have one of the highest officer civilian ratios in the world.  Throwing money at the police force will not help solve crime.    

    We're shooting ourselves in the foot.  We bring English police officers here, covering their relocation cost, providing a favorable salary yet they lack the ability, the know how or adequate training to solve island generated crime.  WTF is the police commissioner thinking?  I would honestly like to know what outlet the citizens of the Cayman Islands can use to voice their discontent with the CoP and Governor for their lack of foresight and vision.  Once again tax payer’s funds are being allocated to nonsense. 

    My two cents.

    • Anonymous says:

      And of course there are no shortage of Caymanian witnesses to crimes willing to step forward and give evidence are there? These young men who were shooting each other a few months ago, did they come from the UK? They say that a society gets the Police they deserve so if you feel the police show no drive to solve crime…………….

      • Genevamassive posse says:

        Word is that these dudes were all Swiss and brought their problems with them.

        There just wasn't enough of a cut for everyone in the last fondue shipment, so now they is all vexed and disrespectful, which is the alpine street code.

        Let's get them fingerprinted and get them out of here before the Swiss gang problem gets any worse or the Belgian west side cru start flexing!

    • ANONYMOUS says:

      Nope ….. you still ain't getting your job back!