Gun found during vehicle search

| 01/04/2009

(CNS): A 29-year-old man has been arrested on following the discovery of a hand gun along with ammunition in a vehicle. The discovery was made at 4:50 pm on Tuesday, 31 March, as USG officers (a team specifically trained in the use of firearms) stopped and searched a vehicle whilst on patrol along West Bay Road. Police say the man, who was the only person in the car, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an unlicensed firearm and remains in police custody at this time.

Superintendent Kurt Walton, who has responsibility for the USG, said, “The Police Service is committed to preventing criminal acts that disrupt the lives of law abiding members of our community, and this is just one example of the proactive efforts we are making to reduce crime. Addressing the use of illegal firearms is a key priority and anyone found to be in possession of an illegal weapon will be prosecuted.”

Walton added, “A firearm conviction before the Grand Court in the Cayman Islands attracts a very lengthy period of imprisonment and as such we appeal to those persons who have thoughts of possessing such illegal weapons to quit.”

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.
 

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  1. Anonymous says:

    I’m sorry, but if you are going to carry a gun around, what is your intention if it is not criminal?

    If it is for protection, exactly how are you going to protect yourself without using it?  Because using it would be a crime, even if you are provoked, you’d certainly be tried for manslaughter.

    There is no justification for carrying a weapon.  I don’t care if you’re young, old, Caymanian or Estonian. 

  2. A YOUNG CAYMANIAN!! says:

    I’m not saying he shouldn’t be charged for his offence…I’m saying that people should not pass judgment on a situation they know nothing about. The older generations have a lot to offer, nobody was saying they don’t. What I will say is that they are ignorant to what is happening with the youth of our nation! They don’t know what is going on and they sit there and flap their gums. That’s all. It’s a fact. Most people don’t know what we have to go through on a daily basis. The young can’t survive without the old and vice versa.  

    It doesn’t matter how many people I "know". The point is that Caymanians as a people are ignorant. It’s not really their fault given the fact that the generations before were the same way. They keep to themselves and they are close minded. We were (and still are) closed off from the happenings of the world. We are a small country…"the land that time forgot", the world developed around us and we let it.  My generation suffers because "old timers" are closed to anything other than what they believe or think.

    Of course I think drunk drivers should be charged….why wouldn’t I? All I’m asking is that people wait to hear the facts before casting their votes! The law is the law…but everyone deserves a fair trial. Innocent until proven guilty!

     

  3. Anonymous says:

    To Young Caymanian,

    The person arrested for the possession of a firearm clearly does have a criminal mind.  He had a gun in his car.  That is a criminal offence.  It follows that he must have a criminal mind or he would not have committed a criminal act.

    • A YOUNG CAYMANIAN!! says:

      I will have you know that there are people on this island who got a gun for the sole reason of protecting themselves. People who have had others try and kill them on numerous occasions, just because they didn’t like them or because they "embarrassed them in public" As a woman I’ve had guys that tried to attack me because I refused to let them grope me!!! If I carry a gun with me in my car does that mean I have a "criminal mind" with "criminal intentions"???

      Granted it might be illegal to carry weapons in your car but if the police aren’t around to help me then all that’s left is Me, Myself and I. Nobody will take a bullet for me or take a beating for my sake. If that is the only way I could protect myself then I would carry one around with me to.

      Like I said before just because he had a gun in his car doesn’t mean he has a "criminal mind".

       

  4. Nicky Watson says:

    Counterpoint – could you disagree with Shaun without the insults.

  5. Anonymous says:

    I agree, don’t judge yet if you don’t know the details of who this person is and why they have the gun.  Don’t say to lock them in prison and throw away the key, that is not right.  Wait to find out more first.  These days i think more and more people who do not commit violent acts against others except in self defense will be driving around with guns because the island it out of control with the rise of crime and the criminals walking free.  There is too much violent criminals freely walking the streets of Cayman to strike again in another horrific act.  Let’s wait to hear who it is and why they say they have the gun, then we can better be able to judge.

  6. A YOUNG CAYMANIAN!! says:

    I’m sorry to say this and it hurts my heart to do so because I am a Caymanian…

    Caymanians are THE MOST JUDGEMENTAL people I have ever come across. I should rephrase that and say that OLDER CAYMANIANS are the most judgmental/ignorant people I have ever met. 

    You "older", "wiser" IGNORANT people don’t know about anything the youth of our country are facing on a day to day basis. You sit there and judge us…say stupid things like "put him in jail and throw away the key".

    First of all…you don’t even know why this guy had a firearm in his car! It could be for the sole reason of protecting himself in today’s world. Just because someone is caught with a gun doesn’t mean they have a "criminal mind". I’m a woman in my twenties and I would like to think that if the police pulled me over and found me with a gun that I would have some kind of support from my fellow man considering all the violence in the country in the past years. But chances are you would sit down and judge me and say "put her in jail and throw away the key!!!"

     Its comments like the ones before mine that make the younger generations feel like the old fowls before us don’t care or even concern themselves with why we do the things we do!!!

    DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY its COVER!!!!!!!!!!!

     

    • Anonymous says:

      Thanks for saying this!

      We must learn to keep an open mind….no matter how old we are……..

      • Anonymous says:

        Listen, do not throw words about ignorance when you do not portray differently. Our elders should be respected and their opinions valued, I am not saying they are always right, but neither are you.

        The only reason you can say Caymanians are the most judgmental people in the world is because you are Caymanian and in your twenties, how many more other people do you really "know"?

        A young man found with illegal an illegal firearm and ammunition should be prosecuted to the FULL extent of the law. We do not know why he has the gun, what we do know is that he broke the law, and illegal guns do not make our streets any safer. As a matter of fact, a gun possession only leads to more attention being drawn to that person. While we are it, why not just not judge drunk drivers either? What do you think?

        I am happy one more illegal gun is off the street and I hope for a successful investigation.

  7. Shaun Ebanks says:

    I have a lot of respect for Kurt Walton. I worked with him for many years as a police officer and I know he is honest, impartial, hard working, well educated and exhibits sound common sense in his approach to policing.

    However, let me say this. The systems/policies that have been instituted and put in place for officers like Kurt Walton to follow, are absolutely appauling, ineffective and counter producive. 

    I’m not at liberty in discuss these in detail, but there is no reason why this type of good policing as is mentioned in the captioned story, should not be happening 2-3 times every week as opposed to once every 2-3 months. 

    I put the blame squarely of the RCIPS " Local High Command" who foolishly sat by and allowed the UK to " Ram-Rod"  failed strategies and policies that miserably failed the UK Police Forces, only now to import same into our jurisdiction. I talk with local police officers practically everyday and it’s mind boggling to hear them explain the imported policies/strategies that they have to work under, on a daily basis. It’s no wonder we have so many serious unsolved crimes, low police morale and lost of public trust in our country today.

    I say to the Caymanian people, hold your present Governor, Government and your local "Police High Command" past and present, accountable for the failures or lack thereof, in preventing and detecting crime in our country. It should never be the honest and hard working police officers who are struggling to do their best and working amongst systems and policies that have long failed the RCIPS and the country as a whole.

       

  8. bongo says:

    put him in jail and throw away the key. i hope the media stays on this case so this isnt just another successful arrest followed by poor investigation followed by weak courts followed by another freed criminal.

    another "success" of the useless PPM was they struck down the mandatory 10 year sentence for possession of an illegal firearm.

  9. Anonymous says:

    I hope the police can link this gun to crimes so this person can spend some time in jail or talk on someone so the police can solve some old crime.