Police nab suspect jewel thief at club

(CNS): Several pieces of jewellery have been recovered and a 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, police said on Thursday. The jewels include four bracelets, one neck chain, one pair of earrings and a ring. The RCIPS said that the items are quite distinctive in design and the Criminal Investigation Department is encouraging anyone who may have had jewellery stolen lately to contact them for identification purposes. Police said the suspect was picked up on 27 September at the Pepper’s nightclub on West Bay Road.

Meanwhile, West Bay Police Officers along with the Uniform Support Group, K9 Unit, as well as the Special Constabulary, continue to carry out what they described as proactive patrols in the district including stop searches, roadblocks and management of offenders during curfew times which they say  are seeing real and positive results.

“We are focusing on serious, violent crimes and we want residents to know that we take their concerns very seriously, and as a result we are doing everything to combat the rise in crime on the Islands generally,” said Area Commander for West Bay Angelique Howell . “People will have to understand that in order to crack down on crime good law abiding citizens may be inconvenienced at times and we ask for their patience, but these measures must be taken.”

She said that while officers are addressing traffic violations the vehicle stops are targeting hard crime.

“People travel everyday from point A to point B and they do so in vehicles that may be carrying guns and drugs. During these roadblocks, there are persons being arrested for weapons offences, drug offences, DUI’s and other crimes. So these roadblocks are two fold, targeting hard crimes as well as addressing traffic violations,” Howell noted adding that her officers are committed to focus on every aspect of crime and anti-social behavior.

Even when undertaking community initiatives she said officers do so with a crime reduction strategy in mind and a belief that once people are occupied positively and are taught how to conduct themselves in society crime will drop.

“We are also focusing on our children. They need to know what acceptable behaviour is and what is unacceptable. Children need to understand that police are not their enemies but rather there to protect and serve them as a society. Hence, we regularly visit schools within the district in an attempt to reach out to the next generation,” Howell explained.

Police intend to continue the proactive patrols for the unforeseeable future and ask that members of the community please work with them to help make a difference in the West Bay community.

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.