Gunmen rob East End Fosters
(CNS): Updated. The RCIPS has confirmed that two men armed with guns took an undisclosed sum of cash from the East End Foster’s Express supermarket during a holdup yesterday evening (Tuesday 22 December) at around 7pm. Police say that the robbers threatened two female members of staff and demanded cash. The suspects ran off with a small amount of money into a waiting car. Police have said they are currently investigating if there are links to the recent robbery of Jack’s Esso in North Side.
One of the suspects was described as 5’9” in height, medium build and light brown complexion. He was wearing a black mask exposing his eyes and mouth, a black long sleeved jacket , long blue jeans and spoke with a Caymanian accent. The other wore a white t-shirt over his head and was wearing a long sleeved dark coloured shirt and pants. No description is available of the driver of the getaway car – a black four door vehicle.
Detectives are investigating whether this robbery is linked to the North Side gas station robbery last week (18 December 2009). Detective Inspector Peter Kennett is appealing to all employees at cash businesses to be on the alert. “Please ensure that your CCTV is working properly and is recording correctly,” he said. “If you are unlucky enough to be robbed – do as the robber demands but make a metal note of everything that happens. If a vehicle is involved try and get a license plate. Write it down. Don’t do anything that could put you in more danger. Dial 911 as soon as you can.”
Other reports to CNS say that the robbery took place while several visiting tourists and local customers were shopping. The supermarket is located at the Morritt’s Shopping centre opposite two major tourism resorts on the Queen’s High Way.
Anyone with information about the robbery should contact Bodden Town CID on 947-2220 or call Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS).
Category: Headline News
For the past several weeks, there has been a high profile police detail downtown… not only during business hours… but at the close of business I have seen police cars cruising with thier flashing lights on. Suddenly the robberies have been happening in outlaying and remote areas.
Can it be ‘suddenly’ that there are dozens and dozens of armed criminals on the island who all start committing armed robberies. EXTREMELY UNLIKELY.
What is more likely is that this is the same group of people comitting these crimes and they are both paying attention to police patterns and they seem to have developed a routine.
If you want to catch a crook … think like one… this East End robbery is most interesting… there are very few roads or communities within the immediate area and you either have to head back toward the police station in Bodden town or away from it and toward the East End.
Neither of those things seem like a logical course of action. If indeed these guys moved into outlaying areas because of all the police downtown… then they are calculating… and careful…
I am quite sure that what these guys are doing is finding a safe place to lay low for perhaps as long as a day ‘very’ close to the places they are robbing and then leaving long after the roadblocks/searches/investigations have taken place.
They can’t possibly have enough luck to rob half a dozen places and make a clean getaway each and every time… somebody would see them driving fast… passing other cars…
I am also pretty sure that these conclusions have not escaped the RCIPS and hopefully they will soon catch these guys and then our ‘crime wave’ can come to an end.
As for all the negative comments above about the islands … UK has so many murders… so much gang crime… the weapon of choice is a knife… so many are killed with knives… car jackings, murders and much more… numbers are in the tens (or hundreds of thousands) depending on where we’re talking about … and the US in no better. Even Canada has massive problems with crime.
I’ll take Cayman … any day…
I agree. All I’ll add bo-bo is that they better hurry up. This not good buddy.
Grand Cayman has come full circle. Back to the days of Pirate Glory. There’s pirates and then there’s Prey. Me thinks its about 50/50 right now. With the new pirate King in charge I pity the prey. I still want to be on the winning side and can steal with the best of um. Please reach me at Iamapirate.com. I would like to be in charge of pilageing the Cruise ships as they go by on there way to Jamaica! ARRRRGG!
What has my country come to?
Derek Haines, the former head of the DTF here in Cayman, is a highly respected and decorated professional, who ran a tight ship, and got the job done …. all too well.
Frankly, he couldn’t be corrupted or forced to ‘turn a blind eye’, and he lost his job for that very reason. He dared to highlight our problems, and name those responsible. He warned of what would happen IF we didn’t address the growing gang issue while it was still in its infancy.
We spat in his face, and tried to discredit him, an INTERNATIONALLY recognized and Decorated ‘Hero’, in the War on Drugs and crime.
Frankly, we get what we want, and then we complain that we don’t deserve the outcome.
We are like the Stupid parent, who buys their son a high-performance car BEFORE he even has a License, cries ‘foul’ when people warn of the ‘error of his ways’, and then blames the Car for causing the child’s death.
Oh, but THAT also happens here in Cayman.
Cayman operates in an inverse, parallel universe. You do your job well and you find yourself without one. Incompetence gets you promoted. Criminals are left to wander the streets without worries, cops are walking scared. Crooks, robbers, and murderers are regularly found innocent by the Courts of Law, innocent people are harassed and convicted. Any wonder this country is going downhill fast?
Why can’t we name some of these thugs on this site? I’ve read numerous postings in the past months eluding that the police know who the criminals are and didn’t give much credence to that theory till witnessing the vandalism of a car on the North Side on Sunday. There are two men in the hospital with head injuries who either know who was involved or were involved themselves. This leads me to believe that the police are enabling the crime situation by doing nothing about it. There were 6 police cars on the scene within 15 minutes. Someone please explain to me how they don’t know who these men are.
Re 06:21
I trust you have made a statement to the police about the car you witnessed being vandalised.
The reason for not naming names is people get it wrong.
The police were not interested. We were on the way to the airport and were tied up in traffic. We attempted to be good samaritans and give a medical assist as a woman had collapsed along side of the road. The police refused help. The police were not interested. Care to try again, bro’?
In that case I would suggest taking the names or the badge numbers of the police who refused to even take your statement or assist this lady who had collapsed by the side of the road and make a complaint to the Police Commissioner about it. If they were that uninterested then the sooner they are weeded out the better.
By the way I was not having a go at you, simply asking a question bro
It’s like this: When you’re watching a vandalism and there are 6 cops there, you figure you’ve got a representative sample of the police department available. You don’t think to yourself, ‘Hey- the day after tomorrow I’m going to read that the police will say that this vandalism was not a vandalism.’ Believe me, I wish I had the forethought to have taken a video with my cell phone.
Hello?? should be Tuesday the 22nd, today is Wednesday the 23rd……….
This country needs a Super Hero. Where the hell is Superman when we need him!!!
He didn’t get key employee so was rolled over….
He got rolled over!
We have been coming down to the island for 19 years. In that time, we have brought numerous friends and family members along with us and have enjoyed our time on Grand Cayman. During the last few years or so we have seen on island on the slide. Crime rate exploding, little or no Caribbean/Caymanian culture, the steady decline of diving and the traffic snarls that tie up G’Town, etc. have led us to a decision we never wanted to make, but Grand Cayman is probably off the list for this years trips.
Tourists pay a pretty penny in Cayman and expect value from that. Unfortunately, the security/safety the island once possessed is gone. I can go to Miami and save thousands of $$$$ and get the same thing. And there are numerous Caribbean destinations that are now comparable at considerable savings.
I cannot understand why nothing is being done. Get your head out of the sand and address these problems immediately. If not, paradise lost…
Many of the travel and dive forums and message boards are starting to light up with all these crimes now making there way to tourist and potential tourist alike. Just wait until the first "Aruba Gate" incident happens and a tourist is involved. Buckle up Caymanians the cupboard will soon be bare!
Peace and Blessings,
Captain Kayman
Unfortunately the word is already out.
what does cayman expect?
it’s immigration laws means that the most law abiding, hard working, honest, highly educated people on the island are told to leave after 7 years!
and people wonder why cayman is on the slide?????
You nailed it right there.
Status Grants comehome to Roost. You are not alone, most visitors have witnessed the decline. The problems are the result to the massive status grants given by the UDP the last time they were in power …. it won’t ever get fixed if everyone is too scared to admit it! Our countryhas been taken over….
It is not "your country". One, this is not a country. Two, it is British.
You are right but the PPM compounded the problem by granting permissions to large numbers of people as dependants of status recipients without regard to whether they had the means to support them. That is now being continued under the UDP – particularly by social services..
Once a person is Caymanian (that is what having status means) you cannot turn down a dependant, regardless of their means. That was what the indiscriminate grants brought thanks to the short sighted UDP cabinet, and it will continue on & on.
Dependants are precisely that; depandants. When status grants were given to some 3000 people it was well known that the total would eventually include dependants. They are entitled to status as well, and under the section of law that it was granted they CANNOT have that status taken away. For many, this was probably the most egregious part of the entire process. If you have five children but can only afford to feed four, the fifth one is still yours!
It was one single despicable act, and successive governments have nothing to do with it. The blame lies squarely in the hands of the members of the Executive Council of the day. There is no need to throw in arguments about who provided "lists of names", the ones who "approved" the list are wholly responsible.
Fight fire with fire…Don"t bring a batton to a gunfight bring a canon…
Bring in a Special squad made up of ex drug, violent crime officers from other countries that have the experience, training and stomach to deal with violent crime…the wayit should be dealt with – zero tolerance…Sorry but they have to be expats, nobody in Cayman has on the job training in this sort of violence…Taking a training course and being shot at in real world conditions are two different things..
Singapore has no crime problems, no drugs, simple policy caught dealing in drugs you are executed…Simple stuff…the only way to get through to them is to hit back harder…
The truth is there are twenty or so locals that are responsible for 90% of the crime on the island…Take them out and you have a good start…Everyone including the police know who they are…Stop being scared of locking up someone you know or a relative…Save Cayman…
Daylight robberies in public places is a bad sign folks. this shows a blatant lack of respect for law and order and your fellowman. from the time the "tit for tat" gang related crime wave started earlier this year, to these most recent events, I have maintained that the authorities needed to immediately create (with overseas assistance from UK/US) a 50 man special task force (headed by experts, but with local police forming the majority), which would be capable of splitting into 5 individual 10 man teams and making their presence felt in each district. the goal of this unit would be to deal with gang related activities, gun crimes (searching thoroughly all suspects and property regularly) and making it very uncomfortable for the criminal element. we cannot leave this job to the current USG, who are under-manned and poorly equipped and lack the specialist knowledge that is needed. currently when something serious happens in the West then the East is exposed. it is time for serious resources to be committed to this area and our Coast Guard fully operational. we must deal with what we have locally and prevent the unwanted illegal entry at the same time. if this is not done, then I’m afraid we are on the wrong track and things will only get worse. criminals need to fear the law and right now they don’t. working in tandem with all this must be our social reform programs, starting with proper parenting!! it is all inter-linked/related.
Oh my god a 50 man special task force WOW! and how are we going to pay for this my good man? Well if memory serves me we had a viable drugs task force who had crime under control however certain members of the LA and their minions were accusing the then boss Derek Haines, and to quote the former Minister of Education, "of running the department out of his back pocket". Here we are 5 years and 5 Commissioners later and a disfunctional RCIPS with rampant crime out of control. We are now getting more suggestions that we can ill afford. It’s funny how some people who are now out of power seem to have "all the answers". Where were these answers when they had the power to do something about it???? Things that make you go hmmmmmm………….Give it a rest bro.
Its not a matter of having "all the answers" – wish I did! but it’s a serious concern and one that you obviously seek to trivialise "bro"!!! when I was a sitting member I did all I could within my power to appeal for good policing and I voted for the single largest budget the RCIP ever received. we had no direct control in Cabinet, much less at my level of MLA. I would welcome your suggestions before you tear down and discard what I’ve said. I hope now that we have a NSC (again thanks to the PPM and Constitution modernisation) the elected Government can bring more pressure to bear to utiliise resources in the best manner possible.
Dearest Ozzie,
We have the expertise right Ya unfortunately any thing set up has now to be outside the current arrangements and the RCIPS and believe me when i tell you certain elements here aint going to let that happen. You know how goes you been there in the halls of power.
In regards to the NSC let me enlighten you around here since it is Christmas swinging the same people round some panel or committee and adding some folks who are total out of touch with the real world on the streets of Cayman How’s that going to solve and fix this crime problem. NSC have the same persons Plus 2 civilians that were suppose to be managing he current situation, correct.
I am sure the criminal element are really scccccccared about these turn of events.NSC is commmming. You guys and your committee’s you want something to be debated to death give it to one of these exclusive committee. I know the Cayman Islands feel really safe to night knowing we have the "well protected few" having a meeting WoW!
As far as that budget is concern if i were you i would be admitting to that because as far the people are concern including myself what was it spent on because with the current crime problem it appears it was not money well spent in fact wasted on assets that are either damaged or misused ask yourself are we better off. Just maybe just maybe the Auditor General and PAC can give the people a value for money report ooooh shooks we are only 5 years behind and weren’t you Mr Bodden the chairman?
Well Monsieur Boadden have a Merry Christmas and a "safe" an properous New Year and dont worry about the crime NSC is Here
A comprehensive National Security& Drugs and Crime Plan and study was done back in 2001-2003 by then DTF Boss Derek Haines and his DTF heads of Drugs Intelligence units Land & Marine branches maybe these megalomaniacs who now run this island now should give him a call? It is indeed sooo sad to see how far this place has sunk into this criminal abyss when this was all in hand a some point. Just because of some power hungry members of the RCIPS along with their political sponsors and criminal associates were unhappy how things were being done. Give the gentleman a call Deputy Governor & Commisioner Baines and stop listening to these Hocus Pocus advisors.
Why oh why are we hearing nothing from the Government or the Police Force regarding this surge in violent crime? There has been no statement whatsoever in recent weeks. No words of comfort or reassurance never mind the details of any action being taken to crack down on these violent criminals. I want to be reassured! I want to hear from my Government! I want a public statement from the police that will give some, ANY, indication that they are dealing with this issue. This is a time when we need to see strong leadership and a strong message reassuring the people of these islands that the police and the Government are still in control of our streets, our homes and our supermarkets. The silence is deafening……
Once again people Crime comes from the community. Not from the police!the police are there to HELP the community against crime. The key work is HELP. That means the community must do their part too. Lots of post from people who are mad that they have been caught breaking the traffic laws. Lots of post from those who obviously against the police and take every opportunity to put them down. If you belive that it is your right to break laws and get mad when you or your friends get caught then YOU are a criminal. And that means you do not deserve to be protected by the laws you desrespect. That also explains why there is lots of crime. These criminalslive next to and around other peole. They have family and freinds. But on Cayman No one takes sides against the criminals and expect the police to do all the work. This is why there is so much crime on Cayman and its also why the police can’t deal with it all. The Community will continue to whine and cry for help but actually do nothing to help themselves and the police will continue to do the best they can against an ever increasing lawlessness in the community. Its like a spoiled child getting mad at the parent for letting it get its way.
East End community leaders, politicans and home owners you need to come together as a group and put a stop to this crime wave that has now crept into your beautiful little village. Try setting up a network of informants … the police cannot help you unless you help them. We are their eyes and ears. Feed them information.
The article says they were armed & that they were on foot. That should narrow it down to just a few.
Who do you know that has a gun? Turn them in if they don’t have a license. Guns are for killing, period! Why give them a break. You, your family or a friend could be their next victim.
Who do you know that is desperate enough to rob someone with that gun?
Who in your midst doesn’t have a car?
Keep an eye on those around you, find out why so & so is where they are, make it your business to know what the heck is going on in your neighborhood.
ACT NOW, this goes for all of us.
Will the last one to leave please turn out the lights? It’s getting beyond a joke now. Stop wasting time writing traffic tickets and go catch these people – PLEASE!!!
1. The list of people I know who who already left (which includes me) is startlingly long already, and it won’t stop growing any time soon (come on Caymanians, let’s have your usual "door of the airplane in the ass" reply as you stick your head further in the sand).
2. The existing police force is incapable of dealing with this. Writing traffic tickets is their highest and best function (real crime-fighters would need to be imported).
3. The current government has no political will to address crime, so the island hasto get learn to live with armed robberies and whatnot as part of its day-to-day life (the "loss of Cayman" will be Mac’s legacy, but he won’t notice from wherever the hell he is presently).
4. The part government lacked the IQ to address crime. No more need be said.
5. The hedge fund business is over for Cayman, but Cayman doesn’t know that yet.
6. It’s down to the tourists. Cayman might consider offering bullet-proof jackets at the docks.
7. Merry Christmas.
Point 5. is so true, and any hope Cayman had of saving the industry is being destroyed by the ramped up fees, the interference of immigration diluting the quality of the workforce and the lack of any coherent local government policy on funds.
I left today in good conscience to go on to bigger and better things. I’ll miss friends and the beauty that is left but the country needs to pull it’s finger out and start to make the necessary changes to stop it’s demise. Good luck and best wishes to all.
1. I heard that there is an island near Tahiti where all the Caymanians are emigrating to.
2. They would write more, but some of them cannot write.
3. The current government has asked to be left alone, so please stop criticizing.
4. We just got scared of those people who do crime. We looked into their eyes and got frightened.
5. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just paid Green Thumb $300 to fix my Momma’s hedge. It looks great.
6. I’ve heard that the tourist are bringing their own.
7. Happy New Year
there is a definate pattern to these ‘soft targets’
Maybe a similar system needs to be put in place by the po-lice to that used in England for the campaign of post office robberies by gypsies, in that a regulated, co-ordinated and disciplined regular check of all the soft targets was made, and recorded with supervisors, every single shift for every single officer. RCIPS, get your biggest boots out, and kick your supervisors up the arse as hard as you can possibly manage, to start doing something pro-active, rather than just ‘fire service policing’. yes it’s easy to criticise for hundreds of traffic tickets, but that DOES indicate that officers are out ‘on da road’ and could actually be tasked to do something proactive. Expecting some of the uniform shop dummies we have driving round, one-handed like a ‘gangster’, leaning on da window, in the A/C, with the music so loud it can be heard outside the car, to think for themselves is a bit much to ask (they can’t be expected to concentrate on breathing, eating, flirting AND working) but the supervisors SHOULD be able to tell them what to do. Supervisors should be competing with each other to come up with, and promote these good ideas. Free thinking supervisors? Whatever next? They’ll be catching criminals next!
THINK, THINK, THINK, THINK, THINK, RCIP.
Happy Holidays.
When following their seniors to bust people on traffic and liquor licensing offences, they, the police should been fighting and preventing crime against individuals… but no… The heads are too caught up with such trivial matters. Now, they want 50 more Police as if that will solve the problem of poor management
If Cayman doesn’t get it’s crime problem under control immediately, tourists will stop coming and those that can, will leave by July next year.
There are already rumors that some cruise ships might pull out of Cayman due to the increased daylight robberies. If you don’t beleive it fine, but you had better not wait to see if it is true. Once the tourism is gone, it is gone, just look at your neighbors. Jamacia is a beautiful place, but they have to have fortresses built around the hotels for tourists to come.
Cayman you are holding your future in your hand, don’t let it slip away.
have you read the news some weeks ago? jamaica has been for the last four consecutive year the world’s number one cruise destination? and for the last five number one in the caribbean? please leave jamaica out of this. this is our problem, we as caymanians need to come together and help the RCIP in solving these crimes and stop playing the blame games..
My appeal to Police is to watch out that these two Eastern District robberies were/are not meant to divert your attention from town or the business districts or something a bit bigger. We have watched a pattern being developed and with the advent of Christmas this activity indicate strong moments again.
My appeal to comm. Baines: please have cops spread in disguise in key areas from Fosters strand to Grand Harbour. Even at nights. With our Jewelry stores and businesses downtown open until 8/9pm it will be very tempting. The questions are: do we lay low in disguise with the hope of luring them to catch them red-handed or do we continue the heavy Police presence even at nights to try and discourage them? I can’t answer this because I have no training in Police work. I have some thoughts but it would be interesting to hear what others think.
The prayers are still going up guys. Keep the faith.
We thank you God for thy mercy found in Jesus the Christ.
Well JC didn’t stop the first two did he?
Gotta catch these thugs and put them away for good.
There aren’t too many places to escape on foot from there, surely somebody saw where they went and could have called the cops to watch from a safe distance. Trouble is all the cops were in town giving out traffic tickets and probably ignored their radios in case it meant having to do real police work.