UK Cops head home after helping round up suspects
(CNS): A group of specialist British cops, seconded to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service on a temporary basis, have gone back to the United Kingdom. The team of 14 officers from police services in the Midlands area of the UK have reportedly helped local officers to arrest and charge a number of suspects in the recent spate of gang related violence. The UK cops assisted in putting together the charges in four out of the five fatal shootings which have taken place so far this year. However, The RCIPS is still facing a number of unsolved fatal shootings from 2009 and beyond.
The UK team was here for just four weeks but the RCIPS is currently in the process of recruiting a number of permanent specialist staff, some of which are expected to come from the UK. The commissioner has said that he has a number of skill gaps that need to be filled in order to help maintain law and order and solve many of the outstanding murders.
Five people have been killed in gun violence since the start of 2010 and charges have now been brought in four of the cases. Devon Anglin has been charged with the murder of four year-old Jeremiah Barnes, who was shot at the Hell Gas Station in West Bay in February. A 16-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of 25-year-old Marcus Duran, who was gunned down at apartments in Maliwinas Way on 11 March. Robert Aaron Crawford, aged 17, Jose Sanchez, aged 23, and Roger Deward Bush, aged 35, have all been charged with the murder of Alrick Peddie, which took place in broad daylight on Willie Farrington Drive, also in West Bay in March.
A number of immediate arrests were made concerning the murder of Damion Ming near to his home in the Birch Tree Hill area of West Bay in March. However, just one man, Raziel Jeffers, was finally charged with his murder on 13 May.
Police have not yet solved the case of the murder of Courtney Spence, who was shot killed in the car park of Progressive Industries where he worked. Nor have officers brought charges yet in most of last year’s killings. The fatal shootings of 17-year-old Jerome Christopher Russell, Marcus Ebanks (20), Carlos Webster (32), Fabian Reid (24) and Fabian Powell (27) have not been solved.
The trial of Patrick McField, Osbourne Douglas and Brandon Leslie for the murder of Omar Samuels in George Town in July 2009 is scheduled to start in June.
Police have also brought charges against four men for Cayman’s first major kidnapping case, which took place in March when a young local man was held hostage before making his own escape. Sywell Allan Kelly (40), Richard Robert Hurlston (32), Wespie Mullings-Ramon (36) and Charles Feliz Saunders-Webster (28) reportedly demanded a ransom of hundreds of thousands of dollars for the release of their victim.
A number of charges have also been made regarding some of the attempted murders that have occurred this year where victims were shot but have survived.
The RCIPS recruitment process is ongoing, and although there have been no official announcements regarding any new posts being permanently filled, at a recent press conference Commission David Baines said that a number of offers had been made.
Category: Local News
Thank you each one of the UK officers for coming down and offering much needed help.
Please RCIPS focus on the crimes committed against the wholly innocent as a priority over the crimes between criminals or those who associated with, or enter into relationships with criminals. Those in the criminal world get no sympathy for me if they get hurt by reason of their selfishness.
It is incredible how things have changed in only a few months. During the rise in violence a few months ago everyone was calling for armed police, special armed squads, the British Army, USA Cops and everyone else to invade our islands and "deal" with the criminals. Thankfully, the Commissioner and others did not yield to the pressure. Officers with the right skills were brought in and together with our local cops arrested a number of the bad guys without firing asingle shot. I wish to extend thanks to the cops who came in and provided assistance to the RCIPS.
This operation was so different from Tempura- it did not last for years, costs us millions with zero results. Wow how things have changed.
Come on CNS posters lets see you provide some positive comments for a change- prove to us that you can write positive comments.
Good Vs Bad
Let me correct correct myself I meant "Role" models and not roll models 🙂
Good Vs Bad
Maybe if justice is served for the murder of young Jeremiah someone will come forward and give evidence as to the unsolved case of Carlo Webster. I mean there was around 150 people present in the night club and we have all heard on the marl road who is responsible for his death. If justice can be served against the person resposible for Jeremiah then people will feel safer in knowing that this person cant’ come after them and let’s keep it in our prayers that someone will come forward for Carlo. Justice needs to be served for these people more so that the younger generation we have coming up will see that crime does not pay and there is no escaping. RCIPS work hard to see that this person does not get away twice (if not more) with murder. As for the Justice system you need to work harder with the RCIPS in KEEPING these criminals behind bars!
With that being said for Jeremiah and Carlo. What about the other murder’s? Surely if people start seeing that these criminals are not getting away with their crimes this may help greatly in preventing other murders from taking place. Everyone knows that the police are not properly trained to deal with and handle these types of crimes. Unless the evidence is smaking them in the face it’s almost hopless for them to solve. I think that something needs to seriously be done about that. Our Island is way to small for those types of crimes to happen and no one is held responsible.
The Justice system (the courts) need to work harder in keeping these perpetrators behind bars when they come before them because it is no longer in the RCIPS hands when it reaches the courts.
There is said that there is one man charged for the murder of Damion Ming. Well there is nothing being said about him going to court so is there REALLY charge of murder agains this individual? I read the paper everyday and I have not seen anything further on the case. Is this going to be another case droped?
As a parent and my kids in their teens it’s hard for one to tell what your kids choices will be but I try hard to keep them from making the wrong decisions. Cayman is small and basically everyone knows everyone, or knows a family member and there are connections somewhere down the line. If we dont start setting examples for our younger generation coming up by putting these criminals away then what expample are you showing the younger generation? I am sure their are younger kids who know some of these individuals and probably want to be like them when they grow up because some of them have no father in their lives and look in the wrong directions for roll models. We cant ignore this fact because we all know that is how it is!
RCIPS and Justice system it is not all in your hands sure the society has a part to play but you must remember MOST of the responsibility falls on you simply because that is the roll you play. It is your job and that is what we as the citizens of Cayman pay you for with our hard earned money. So please dont let us down. We need you and you are the ones I would rather My kids look up to and want to be like…. the GOOD guys that put away the BAD guys!
Good!
They have also not solved the Dec 29 2009 murder of Fabian Powell. I think you got the name wrong. It was not Adrian Powell – but Fabian Powell.
CNS: Thank you! Well Spotted. Wendy says she needs a vacation.