Bridger breaks pledge to talk

(CNS): Since stating on 9 October that he intended to keep the community informed through public meetings, and fortnightly statements to the media, Martin Bridger the Senior Investigating Officer, of the Special Police Investigation Team (SPIT) has attended only one public meeting and submitted only a four line statement to the press.  Despite enormous criticism of his investigation from elected officials and Sir Peter Cresswell, Bridger has remained silent.

Having announced his decision to change the way he communicated with the Cayman public he nevertheless said he would keep the community informed as much as possible but in fact he has made no public comments for several weeks and failed to offer any details of his investigation.

On 9 October he issued an official statement saying he would no longer communicate openly with the media following the release into the public domain of Anthony Smellie, the Chief Justice’s 54 page ruling. The legal document concerned Bridger’s application for search warrants for the homes of the senior police management team which were turned down as Smellie said there was no evidence of a crime. Bridger’s reaction to the publication in the local media of this ruling was to close down the open channels of communication with the press saying instead he would answer written questions and would issue a statement every two weeks.

 “Beginning today, (9 October) unless events require a more immediate report, a media update will be issued every two weeks.  Media questions presented in writing will be answered as fully as I can.”

Despite that pledge so far Bridger has offered only “no comment” to some thirty questions submitted over the last eight weeks by CNS.  His promise to meet directly with the people of Cayman has also been unfulfilled. Having said he would meet with them directly in various public forums it appears that he has only attended one crime prevention meeting held in West Bay in the wake of Estella Scott-Robert’s murder.

CNS requested details of any meetings that may have occurred with himself or any member of SPIT with local community groups or associations or any future planned meetings however, the answer from Bridger’s representative was, “no comment.”

Bridger said on 9 October that it was his experience in dealing with sensitive issues of this nature thatthe more informed the community, the better.  “To date, to a large extent, the community has heard from me only through the media.  As a consequence, the community’s views have, to a large extent, been informed by how the media has interpreted and reported my words.  That is no longer acceptable,” he had said “I recognize that within the community there are key stakeholder groups and individual stakeholders who, I, believe, should hear directly from me.  It is now my intention to put in place additional public communications to keep the community informed on these important issues.”

However, it appears that this has simply not been the case and Bridger has not spoken publically about his investigation since this statement with the exception of four lines delivered to the media in the wake of Sir Peter Cresswell’s ruling on Justice Alex Henderson’s judicial review.

On 24 October Bridger simply said in response to the UK judge’s damning 124 page ruling that he did not consider it prudent to comment but following careful analysis of the judgement with the legal team and other people affected by that judgement he would respond when he was able to do so.

Since that time Bridger has not responded to any questions or enquiries submitted by any media house regarding Cresswell’s ruling or any other aspect of the investigation dubbed Operation Tempura. Despite the fact that Henderson has been unequivocally cleared by the former Acting Commissioner David George of the investigation, that Stuart Kernohan the former Commissioner has been sacked and the elected Government has asked Bridger to leave, the former Scotland Yard internal affairs officer has made no official comments.

So far Bridger has spent at least CI$4 million of public money which some legal experts say may very well double once the claims for damages and costs are made by Henderson, Kernohan and Chief Superintendent John Jones who still remains suspended on full pay and has still not been interviewed.

Bridger has been conducting his investigating firstly undercover since September 2007, and overtly since March of this year and as yet the only charges brought have been against Deputy Commissioner Rudolph Dixon for releasing two men who had been arrested for gambling (during a time when there was an unofficial moratorium on gambling arrests) and one drunk driving offender on Cayman Brac who was reportedly arrested by an off duty officer rendering the arrest invalid.

As outrage grows in the United Kingdom over the arrest of Damian Green a Conservative MP who has been accused of leaking Home Office documents, the heavy handed approach of the Metropolitan Police in that case, especially the search of his office and community in the sanctity of the Houses of Parliament has seen people in the Cayman community drawing parallels with Bridger’s investigation. SPIT searched Justice Henderson’s home, computers, and offices in the court building on warrants signed by Justice of the Peace, Chief Officer in the Public Works Department, Carson Ebanks which were summarily dismissed by Cresswell in the recent Judicial Review.