Back police, Haines says

| 18/01/2010

Cayman Islands News, Grand Cayman local news, Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Cayman crime(CNS): With pressure mounting on the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service as a result of what seems to be a never ending crime wave, former Chief Superintendent Derek Haines has called on the people to give their backing to the local cops. Flattered by the recent outpouring of support from the community, he told CNS that everyone is needed in the fight against crime and asked people to get behind the commissioner as he tries to address the problem. Over the Christmas break CNS received literally hundreds of comments from a diverse cross section of the community calling for the old crime fighter’s return to the ranks of the RCIPS.

"I have read the various blogs regarding the suggestion that I return to the RCIP and I am most flattered and grateful for the very kind remarks and support expressed by the majority of the CNS contributors,” said Haines, who added that he was very pleased people had recognised the excellent reputation that Drugs Task Force had within this region and beyond when he was at the helm, but noted he didn’t do that alone.

“My job as the DTF Commander was made that much easier by the excellent quality of the officers serving in it. The honours that I was awarded are a reflection of their tremendous work and, on numerous occasions, gallantry. I consider myself to extremely fortunate to have served with them,” said the former senior officer, who now heads up security for the Dart Group at Camana Bay.

Grateful for the support, Haines said, however, that it was now time for all of Cayman to turn its support towards the RCIP and its commissioner at a time when it was really needed.

“It does not help morale or effort to be continually criticised and I urge everyone to assist our law enforcement officers to the best of their ability,” Haines urged. “As always, I will continue to help in any manner that I can and Commissioner Baines may be assured of my support.”

The rise in crime and the difficulty fighting it featured heavily again this week. At the opening of the Grand Court on Wednesday it took centre stage, and during the swearing in of the new governor, Duncan Taylor said he was well aware of the need to prioritise the Cayman Islands’ security issues. The premier himself, Mckeeva Bush, also declared on Friday in his address to the Legislative Assembly that Cayman could no longer claim to be a crime free jurisdiction.

Chief Justice Anthony Smellie called on the community on Wednesday during his Grand Court opening speech to come forward to help in the fight against crime and remain part of the process of criminal justice. He said the judiciary urged the citizens of Cayman to remain actively involved in the process of law enforcement and in the administration of justice, and to give their unyielding support to the lawful authorities.

“The public can do this by being steadfast in the fulfilment of their civic duties – be they witnesses, jurors or just ordinary persons who, in the course of their everyday lives, may come across information that can assist the police in carrying out their very difficult responsibilities,” the country’s senior judge observed.

Attorney General Samuel Bulgin also spoke about the pressing need to support the police to improve Cayman’s ability to fight crime. Aside from calling on what he said was "people-power", he also said Cayman needed to deal with its own forensic evidence, to change the law to allow anonymous witness testimony and to enforce judge alone trials in certain circumstances to eliminate the problem of fear and intimidation — seen as the main reasons why the community is reluctant to assist the police.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Is he talking about supporting the police that last Saturday pepper sprayed a pregant woman and her sister? Is it the same police that will go around in uniform to collect debts and do favours for their friends? I think the point is that Cayman is looking for some that will raise the standards of the police force so that the force will be worthy of respect. After all only fear can be forced on people, respect has to be earned

  2. Anonymous says:

    Counldn’t agree more.  Once they start doing ANY part of their job then they will get backing.  Leaving shell casings at a shooting is unacceptable and any idiot would know to pick them up, along with the bullets still lodged in the house.  You don’t back up people who can’t do the easiest parts of their job.

  3. Anonymous says:

    They need to do their job to a certain standard – then they will get community backing!

  4. Anonymous says:

    Said like a true Policeman, However why not seek out the advice of those who work for Mr Haines as it appears they work well together. From all appearances they also had their sh@# together. I have notice a trend on this island with government and the political cabal that when you have a working and effective program or team,the minute certain corrupt and incompetent or power hungry elements and groups take control they spend their time trying to dismantle or destroy these programs and the principals they deem a threat to them. This very destructive mentality has gone on for years and has gotten more and more expensive and has become a serious threat to the harmony of Cayman. When it is working you make it work for you. Too many politically backed cronies and proxies with plans & agenda’s for their empires and individual showcasing their Greatness i guess? me me me is killing thee.

  5. Anonymous says:

    If the police really want the assistance of the public they have to ensure they do their job properly and with some common sense and respect for the knowledge of the public and especially the victims of crimes.  Listening and reading the story of the very sloppy and the unattentiveness and lack of urgency that was displayed in the most recent shooting in West Bay really does not give any confidence to the public that the police are taking these gun crimes serious!  If you read/watch the story on Cayman27 http://www.cayman27.com.ky/news/item/4012 this report can only make you feel that the police are not doing their part. 

    Come on RCIPS, the criminals are also watching and reading diligently, and with reports like the above-mentioned, they seem to be a lot smarter than the RCIPS at the moment!

    I wish the RCIPS all the success in solving all the crimes, but please don’t make the criminals appear smarter than the force, especially the crime scene investigators!

  6. cOOLIO says:

    It is extremely easy to say ‘back the police’ and give the new commissioner your ‘suppor’.  I have no problem with the latter.  However, what I as a constituent have is the problem with the officers themselves.

    The RCIP needs to do some serious people training with there officers, they are rude, abnoxious and disrespectful and not every situation is the same so not everyone should be painted with the same paint brush.  They need to be taught how to deal with individuals with respect, if their lives are threatened then force comes into effect and should be so.  However, the officers coming out to a situation, approach it with a bad attitude which aggravates and aggitates those seeking assistance. 

    As for offering up informationn to the RCIP for criminal acts the problem is the handling of that information and witnesses.  It is possible to get cases solved with the communities help, but if you genuinely volunteer information, this is disbursed over the internet, via emails, phone calls or in generial social chats. This i can assure you is factual.  I have been in the presence of off duty officers and listen to them rip apart an investigation and call the persons involved by names and without any regard for the names of the witnesses.  What is very disturbing to me is at the time of this posting those same officers are still employed today.\\

    The Commissioner will get my support and I can go as far as saying the majority of the community if they train the officers to handle situations better, with care, respect, protection and safety of witnesses/information etc. until the individual(s) are charged.

    If the reality is to remove ALL those officers who are not acting professionally in their capacity and simply throwing their weight/authoritative power around abusing persons, and information then remove them completely ALL from the RCIP, or expose them and demand they retire without benefits.

    Clean up the RCIP, and the community will give them all the backing they need.

  7. John Evans says:

    Sorting out Operation Tempura seems to be part of the key to restoring public confidence.

    It is unfortunate but the public perception of the RCIPS and the new Commissioner has been almost irreversibly tainted by the antics of the Metropolitan Police and their inability to conduct a relatively simple investigation without making fools of themselves.

    All of the officers involved in Operation Tempura, and the ongoing Operation Cealt, are sworn members of the RCIPS but apparently the rules of conduct for the force are not being applied to them – particularly when it comes to tackling actions likely to bring the RCIPS into disrepute.

    After the Cresswell report into Justice Henderson’s arrest not one officer from the team was disciplined.

    After the (totally unnecessary?) trials of Lyndon Martin and Rudi Dixon collapsed the governor at that time still heaped praise on the investigators.

    When it was revealed that the SIO had briefed members of the government that RCIPS officers had been engaged in murder and drug dealing without any evidence to support those allegations nothing was done.

    Add to that the issues of questionable contracting, lavish expenses and salaries out all proportion to the task at hand – not to mention the amusing revelations made by the UK press – Operation Tempura has, rightly or wrongly, become an integral part of the public’s view of policing in the Cayman Islands.

    In the UK, despite what other posters may believe, I am certain that officers involved in a similar investigation would now be facing serious issuesrelating to their future employment in the police service – instead some of the Operation Tempura team have apparently returned to promotion and moves into more responsible jobs.

    However painful they may find it the new Governor and the new Commissioner must now start to redress the balance. Rather than, as appears to be happening, trying to bury the matter without trace they need to launch a full criminal investigation into the conduct of the Operation Tempura (and by implication Operation Cealt) team. Included in that review there needs to be a study of the testimony of some of the prosecution witnesses in Lyndon Martin’s trial and the reporting of that testimony, particularly the malicious alteration of my own words by one local newspaper.

    In the meantime, the people of the Cayman Islands would do well to heed Derek’s comments because without public support law enforcement cannot function as has been clearly demonstrated in many areas of the UK.