Police to hold crime class

(CNS): With crime still are the forefront of the community’s collective mind and following the success of two free crime awareness seminars held in November, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) has said it is joining forces with the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) to offer members of the Cayman Islands community a second chance to hear how they can help ‘design out crime’. 

Two further sessions are planned in Grand Cayman and one session in Cayman Brac which will take place later this month.

Devised by RCIPS Inspector Anthony White, head of the Training Department, the two-hour presentation aims to increase awareness of crime prevention measures, highlight to companies, businesses and home owners what they can do to protect themselves, their customers and their property, and give all Cayman Islands residents some general advice on how to stay safe and protect themselves.

“We had some really positive feedback after the first two sessions so we thought it important that we gave anyone who couldn’t make it the first time around another chance to attend,” said Inspector White, who holds a PhD in Criminal Justice.

The RCIPS said it was delighted that the UCCI management continues to support the initiative by allowing their facilities and services to be used at no cost.

“We’re very happy to support this initiative and encourage anyone who missed the first sessions to come on out,” said UCCI President, Dr. Brian Chapell. “There continues to be a concern within the community about crime which is taking place and learning what small steps can be taken to help prevent crime is one way we can all play our part in addressing the problem.”

The presentation covers many aspects of ‘designing out crime’ including environmental design and situational crime awareness. Grand Cayman residents are encouraged to attend one of two sessions taking place on Saturday, January 24 at the UCCI. In Cayman Brac, residents can attend their session which takes place on Friday, January 30 at the UCCI. There will be no cost to those attending.

To ensure that organisers can accommodate all those wishing to attend, people are asked to register in advance by sending an e-mail to fightcrime@ucci.edu.ky with the words “fight crime” in the subject line and indicating a preference for the lunchtime or evening session or they can call Leigh Smellie on 949-9580.

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.