Cops set up murder voicemail hotline
(CNS): In the wake of the recent shootings in both George Town and West Bay, the police have created an anonymous hotline. A police spokesperson said the voicemail facility was completely and totally anonymous and was there for people to simply leave information for the police regarding the recent murders or any other crime. The number is 949-7777. “None of the calls to this number will be traced. There is no caller ID. It is totally anonymous,” the RCIPS promised. "The public can now call a dective directly, or any officer they trust, a police station, this new facility or of course crimestoppers," a police spokesperson added.
The plea to the public comes following the shooting last Sunday morning of 28 year old Omar Samuels, who was shot in the leg and died from his wounds, and then the triple shooting in West Bay on Wednesday evening, which left 20 year old Marcus Ebanks dead, his 18-year-old brother Rod seriously injured and 14 year old Adrian Powell fighting for his life.
Police said on Saturday they wanted to create as many ways as possible for the community to make contact with them to give them whatever informaiton they may have to help solve these crimes.
Police have said that although they have two men in custody in relation to Wednesday evening’s shooting, they need the help of the community to piece together the events of the evening and for any information regarding the identity of the two masked gunmen, said to have emerged from bushes and fired on seven young men who were sitting on a wal.
So far police have not disclosed if any arrests have been made in connection with the killing of Omar Samuels in McField Lane, but it is understood there were hundreds of witnesses in the area at the time.
Police Commissioner David Baines said on Thursday afternoon that there were a number of people in the community who know far more about these crime than they have been prepared to say, and he asked people to search their consciences and tell what they know.
Yesterday, Superintendent Kurt Walton, lead dectective on the West Bay shooting, asked people for their help.
“If you have information about what took place or the events that led to it – it is your duty to come forward. Speak to an officer you know and trust or call Crime Stoppers, but get your information to us somehow. Even if you think it is insignificant, it could be vital to us,” he said.
Aside from the anonymous hot line two dedicated hotlines which are manned 24-hours a day have been set up for residents to reach the investigation team directly. The hotline numbers are: 926-1773 and 926-3975 and callers can remain still remain anonymous. “We need to put an end to violence. We need to take those responsible off the streets. If you can assist us to do this, please come forward,” Walton added.
Category: Headline News
I agree with some of your statements Caymanians for serious policing however they had a very good strategy that worked only to see it destroyed and dismantled by the very same "individuals" who are now incharge at the RCIPS. We are not saying that it was a perfect stategy but 1000% better than what they have now. Lower Crime rate/ control of streets
This one was called the "new era of policing" by the talking heads they got that right "6" police commissioners later it is just that? We feel it for the people who reside here expat and Caymanian and persons like Shaun Ebanks who have had to watch all the good work and difficult times appear to mean nothing to the new minions of change. It must very painful indeed to watch all the respect and trust garnered from the people of these islands over the years handed over to inept, lazy and power hungry persons. Which is equivalent to giving the best chocolate cake you ever baked to SWINE.
Sadly it has come at cost to the lives of our young people and reputation of these Islands because we let them decieved us with promises of better days ahead. Some who have ushered in the change have fallen victim to its wicked forces and those who have imported and promoted foreign mercenaries to do their bidding because some decent Caymanians and very good expat officers would not tolerate or dare speak out of their troubled past ,have now come to see the folly of their wicked ways and big power grab aaaaah friends talking job and doing the job is two different things.
The Cayman Islands are now paying the high price of this change in many many ways only those who oppose Tempura and Cealt know what she seeks as only the guilty know what they are guilty of. To answer your finally point putting state of emergency powers in the hands of these persons is most unwise as the word abuse comes to mind.
Not once have i heard any Government or Politicians mention the fact of calling on any retired officers and young Caymanians an even ex convicts advice or appointing them as advisers with all these panels boards and commitees all we see is a bunch of out of touch mindless cronies filling spots. While crime in Cayman spirals out of control.
To "Anonymous on Sun, 07/12/2009 – 12:30"
Great points made, and I can’t fault yourlogic – the last paragraph of your entry says it all. I know of several p**sed off ex police who would happily take information anonymously, and pass it on to the Po Lice. The point is that if that one piece of information got them th elead they need, then they could corroborate it in other ways.
As far as the whole ‘phone number/informant/reprisals/court order argument is concerned, i say this PAY PHONE, PAY PHONE, PUBLIC PHONE, PHONE KIOSK, PHONE BOX, PAY PHONE, PUBLIC PHONE, CALL BOX, PHONE BOX, PHONE BOOTH, PAY PHONE!!!!!!
There, geddit? They CANNOT be traced as to WHO made the call, (phone your mum after you phone the police if you’re worried about forensics) don’t tell ANYONE you called, just stop making excuses and give the information to th epolice, for the sake of all our lost souls…
To state the phone numbers are ‘untraceable’ is an insult to public intelligence. How on earth do they think the phone companies bill? Every outgoing call is logged and so is the number dialled. No matter whatthe police say or ‘promise’ other agencies can obtain this information, by court order.
Having said that, the voicemail idea is a good one, but to all citizens that want to help without fear of being traced, just use a public phone to make sure!
Serious Policing – 07/12/2009 8:42
You do make some valid points which I must commend you on. However, common sense and experience tells me that harassing of motorists in road blocks is really not going to have any serious impact on violent crimes in the Cayman Islands. Let’s face it, it hasn’t !!!!! Perhaps the only positive thing that can come from these annoying roadblocks, is that you will get the occassional DUI which we can assume that by this detection, may have prevented someone from getting seriously injured or killed down the road in an accident. That is all fine and good and I’m not advocating that it should be stopped, for we do really want to save lives on the roads of the Cayman Islands today.
However, the RCIPS operation command greatest flaw is they don’t have a clue on how to properly deploy their resources which would garner positive results overall. Basically at these road blocks, you will find anywhere from 8-12 officers whichis really overkill, for traffic violations which are "NOT CRIMINAL" in the first place.
It is better to take about (7) seven of these extra officers at these road blocks along with the many other officers whom are not properly deployed, into the many police vehicles that the RCIPS now possess, to these "hot spots" with proper equipment to defend themselves in their pro-active approach. Being re-active, then emerge after a major incident occurs advocating CCTV, Street Lighting etc, after hard core crininals have spilled the blood of individuals, left right and centre, every other week, can only be described as, "Policing after the fact"
The RCIPS have really got it all wrong and it baffales me, what can they really be thinking about !!!! I’m assuming that some of them whom I know atteded FBI training in Virginia, are attempting to somehow accomplish what Commissioner Bratton and Mayor Rudi Gulliani did in New York several years ago, which resulted in a significant decrease in crime and changed New York name from being crime City/Capital USA. In fact, this is a excellent model that many police forces in the US and around the world are taking notice of and have adopted principles from this model. I also received training on this same model at (IPTM) Institute Police Technology Management at Jacksonville, University of North Florida and was attempting to do my part following this same approach, until the DTF was literally dissolved/dismantled in 2005-2006, through no fault of my own.
What Commissioner Bratton and Mayor Gulliani did was attack criminals/violators from all facets of society simultaneously, resulting in these positive results overall.
These "boo boo’s" in senior operational command in the RCIPS ivory towers, who gives instructions to district commanders, believe that by roadblocks alone, leaving our bordes wide open and utilizing re-active response’s to crime ridden area’s, will result in the decrease of crime. How pathetic !!!! I submitt it hasn’t worked since the summer of 2005 and is certainly isn’t working in 2009.
WHEN WILL THEY GET IT RIGHT ????
To Caymanian for Serious Policing…
I agree with most of your statements and whoehartedly agree that Police roadblocks to check for licensing coupons is waste of manpower…but here is the reality….the police are not permitted by law to stop and search anyone without "reasonable cause". Any detention of an individual for the purposes of stop and search constitutes an "arrest" and could be the basis of a civil suit if that "arrest" was reviewed and deemed unlawful by a judge….that being said, there are certainly enough resources at the disposal of the police if they were to utilise them correctly. You are 100% correct when you say that the attitude of crime "containment" was started by Commissioner Thursfield and was a colossal failure. This has, unfortunately, been the prevailing attitude amongst senior RCIPS leadership ever since. The lone exception to this wasChief Superintendant Derek Haines, who was probably the most proactive Senior leader that this Country had ever seen. Look where that got him….In other countries when the system is broke, there is an avenue for change…mainly the press, who make it their mission to hold public servants accountable…However, that too seems to be a paper tiger here…If the system is going to be fixed, then the people have to DEMAND that the police show REAL results…not bogus statistics that "show " that crime is down…New York City faced this very same problem in the early 90’s..Manhattan was a cesspool. Mayor Rudi Guilianni decided to make a change…Many didn’t like it and actively fought to stop the changes that were taking place and the methods used by the NYPD in cleaning up downtown….but you what??? IT WORKED…one can now walk around Manhattan without fear of mugging or robbery….ride the subway to and from work without worry of being killed or raped…What it took to make this wonderous change?? Giving the persons responsible for making these changes a vested interest in making it happen….Guiliani made police officers move into the neighborhoods they worked in…made Senior Leaders get out and patrol with the officers so they really knew what was going on in their areas..This is how you make a postitive change…let’s see if the RCIP can make a postive change??
I generally support the two earlier comments however can you tell me if anyone will really believe that that local number is untraceable just because the Police says so??? Come on….we know the power of the Governor’s office in wiretapping alone….HE has authority to ask for any numbers to be monitored at LIME or DIgicel without giving any reason and without any control…..I am sure Bridger must have used these powers as well given that he was instructed directly by the Governor. The UK must keep hundreds of numbers in Cayman monitored, certainly after the 9-11 laws there. We have to imagine that.
I believe this "new number" energy could have been better spent promoting the existing Crimestoppers that we know is answered in Miami and has a record of delivering successful arrests and convictions.
Last night there were two to three police cars doing checks of registration decals at Frank Sound Intersection around 10:30pm…..On a Saturday night could those cars and officers not have been patrolling WB, GT, the Clubs, Eastern Avenue and the other hot spots–even the domino session going on at that time in East End???
I believe we have to think of some more creative solutions to deal with the crime situation. And we have to get over the NIMBY way of looking at crime here. We are now sufficiently desensitized about shootings….nothing will really happen until there is a shooting in South Sound, Savannah, North Side, or such…."containment" of crime in the "Mcfields, Scrantons, West Bays, and Windsor Parks of the world is clearly a failed policy…Commissioner Thursfield first came with this policy around 1999 in my opinion…as long as we are not really trying to stop crime but to "contain" it in certain areas we are just building a problem….this failed policy was used in the US to "leave" the drug problem in the Ghettos for years…then it spilled into the suburbs, seemingly now without any control.
I believe we should be proactive and "take-out" the trouble makers who we know are the problems( and the police know 90% of them)…I am not advocating ‘police hits’ but rather track them, stop them for doing 31 mph in a 30 mph zone, for littering, for spittingin a public place, park outside their homes, for loitering in a public place, talk to them at the traffic lights to say hello, whatever it takes for them to know the police are there and watching them, keep them paying silly fines in court.
The cameras on all roads are a must–but these must be good enough to see the details and photograph every car, every road, every person, every time…let’s get serious about this….we only have to put up about 10 cameras to cover almost every car in the Grand Cayman..we can get over the "privacy issue" by having access to the photos controlled through the courts…and automatic deletion after 6 or 7 months say.
We will need to do another amnesty for guns…pay $1000 per gun turned in and $2,000 for successful retrieval of a gun through information provided to the police ( this is far cheaper than the PR if we loose our ‘safe’ image)…some years ago Jamaica had the gun court…immediate and undetermined detention for anyone with a gun or bullet…let’s try that here for a while and see what happens… obviously put the laws in place and announce it just prior to the amnesty.
What I am saying is that we are on the brink from a major problem…we will soon loose another more ‘visible’ tourist, an American this time and we will be on CNN by nightfall….Remember Aruba…the ‘normal’ policing solution is not going to work now. Cayman please wake up…stop the committees, the traffic decal stops in East End, put on a bullet proof vest and cracks some heads!..the public will support you.
To ‘Caymanians for Serious Policing", I have to say, i couldn’t agree more with most of your points, and the bottom line you say is about quality and skill of police officers here… but, a couple of points to raise also…
Is a PAID gun amnesty such a good idea? or would it just cause guns to become a legitimate currency, and make bringing them in more attractive, if you could be confident that the Government would pay for them? I would be worried than anyone with a weapon, stopped by police could just say "i’m on my way to hand it in officer’ or if it was late at night ‘i just found it and will hand it in tomorrow’… Difficult to disprove, andI’d hate the amnesty to inadvertently create a ‘get out of jail free card’ for gun possession…
As far as the anonymity of the number is concerned, would it have to any more complex than ‘blocking your caller ID’ when you call, or using a public Payphone?.. and even if the governor/government/police DID get your number, do you think they would be interesteed? do you think they would publicise it? do you think they would say in the media ‘Thanks to the subscriber of 916 9160 for their help in catching this monster’ and even if they did, how then would the subscribed be traced by any sort of harmful person? I think you may be worrying a tad too much about that issue…. let’s just encourage people with the information to call in, and if necessary, find someone with the balls who’ll let that person use their phone… to catch a murderer/rapist, i sure would.
We have mothers grieving here, so let’s step up and support them, and be the best we can be.
Primary duty of a police officer? To preserve life, and that is the type of officer we need in the force here. Not some empire building idiots, but coppers who actually want to POLICE our community…
over and out.
I wholehearted agree with you Ironside, give it a try, we have to stop this fear and dont snitch mentality. We want a safe country to live in, then those of you that know who,what and where all these thugs and guns are, pass the info on. I cant wait to give my help, when i see you little #@$%#&*%* I will pass on all info. Caymanians stand up and have some kahunas
wait wait wait wait wait…. before you start to ‘Dis’ this idea Cayman, give ita chance. Don’t fall into the old ‘I don’t trust the police and the way they handle information" BS trap… This could be the beginning of the change in the police department, new methods, new standards, new results….
Give it a chance, if you know something, step up, be strong, be the person your parents (or forefathers) would be proud of.
If you can’t bring yourself to do this, as Kurt says, give the information to a police officer you trust, or how about this, to and ex or disenfranchised police officer you trust. Do you want safer streets? Do your part then.