Police round up criminals in George Town

(CNS): Despite the obvious focus by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service on the murder of Estella Scott-Roberts officers are not neglecting the day to day work of apprehending criminals through proactive and reactive targeted operations. Police said that over the last few weeks officers have arrested a number of offenders in George Town. And 19 new recruits have been sworn in as special constables.

Notable arrests include an 18-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of burglary. During the operation a number of suspected stolen items were recovered including a laptop, some jewellery and an iPod. The man has been released on bail pending further enquiries. A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft and possession and consumption of cocaine. The man was charged and has been remanded in custody. A 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft following the recovery of two chainsaws which were thought to be stolen. Investigations traced them to a hardware store, the owners of which, after checking, confirmed that they were missing the items. Another man was also arrested for suspicion of possession of ganja with intent to supply, consumption of a controlled drug, driving whilst disqualified, using a vehicle without a certificate of road worthiness and using a vehicle licence plate with intent to deceive.

According to the RCIPS the district has many strategies in place to tackle crime including proactive patrols in areas of interest, the monitoring of known criminals and the continuation of the Hot-Spot team. The team is made up of regular and special constables and is tasked with tackling crime and targeting known offenders. The team focuses on licensed premises and areas of interest.

“George Town police work hard to ensure the district remains a safe area for people to live and work and welcomes reports of suspicious behaviour or criminal activity,” the police said.

Meanwhile, nineteen special constables completed the 11-week training course recently and were sworn in to the RCIPS during a special graduation ceremony held on Wednesday 22 October by Acting Commissioner David George.

“These men and women are a very welcome addition to the service,” he said adding that their contribution to ensuring the safety of the Cayman Islands cannot be underestimated. “These are members of the community who are willing to give up their time to assist the police in ensuring the Cayman Islands remain as safe as they are. They are an invaluable resource.”

From this class, seven specials will be assigned to the Bodden Town district, six to George Town and six to West Bay. With an Emergency Medical technician, an electrical engineer, a dentist, a welder, two computer technicians, a computer salesman, a civil servant, a health care assistant, two cashiers, a nursery assistant, a construction worker, two general managers, a taxi/transport operator, an inventory clerk and a retired Fire Chief the volunteers bring a variety of skills to the Special Constabulary.

The team will start work right away with one of their first tasks being to assist with Pirate Week festivities.

“The Special Constables have an integral part to play in policing; they have the same powers as our regular officers, wear a similar uniform and in many cases show as much commitment to the safety of the Cayman Islands as regular officers,” said Inspector Anthony White head of the Training Department. “These officers worked extremely hard over the last 11 weeks and we’re very proud to have them join us.”

The role of the Special Constabulary is to provide efficient and effective operational support to the RCIPS, thereby enhancing the quality of service to the public and assisting the organisation achieve its policing objectives.

The volunteers are unpaid members of the community who are dedicated to protecting the Cayman Islands.  The special constable can expect to be involved in assisting the RCIPS to police public events, as well as providing operational support by performing regular police duties under the supervision of full time officers of the RCIPS.

Anyone interested in joining the Special Constabulary should email the Special Commandant on richard.harris@gov.ky.

Anyone with information about crime taking place in the Cayman Islands should contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling crime stoppers remain anonymous, and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000, should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.