Seventh-day church accepts guns for amnesty
(CNS): With only one week to go until the RCIPS gun amnesty ends, Pastors from the local mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church have joined forces with the service for the final push and said they are willing to accept illegal weapons from people afraid to go to the police. The Pastors will then in turn hand the weapons over to the RCIPS as part of the ‘no questions asked’ amnesty. Hoping to encourage those who are still reluctant, for whatever reason, to hand over illegal, unlicensed or unwanted, guns and ammunition at a police station, the pastors have said people can come to the church instead.
Pastors have also volunteered to work with RCIPS Area Commanders throughout the Cayman Islands to tell their congregations and communities how they can help cut gun crime in Cayman by taking part in the last few days of the amnesty.
“We are delighted to welcome the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a key partner in the gun amnesty,” said Detective Superintendent Marlon Bodden. “While we have always made it clear that the main drop off locations for surrendering guns and ammunition are the four main police stations on the islands, we want people to feel that they have choices. We have urged them to contact teachers, pastors, doctors, in fact anyone they trust to ask their help in surrendering the guns.”
The senior cop said the poice wanted to use every means possible to get guns off the streets and cut gun crime in the Cayman Islands. “That’s why we are grateful to the church for this very public display of support,” DS Bodden added.
Police officers have been working with the Pastors to ensure that the health and safety issues associated with handling firearms have been addressed.
“Of course it’s important to us that the Pastors feel comfortable accepting the guns – that’s why officers from our Uniform Support Group have provided advice about the safe handling of weapons,” DS Bodden explained. “The Pastors will merely take possession of the guns and immediately contact the police. Our officers will then make the guns safe before transporting them back to the station as part of the amnesty.”
Pastor Al Powell, of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said the clergy’s goal was to help in the fight against crime. “All of our Pastors in the Seventh-day Adventist Church have discussed and agreed to help with this vital and important task – helping our community to be a safer place. Our overall objective is to assist in any way we can to reduce and fight crime – keeping our island as safe as possible,” he said.
“While we recognize the awesome responsibility, we will in no way act, or be police; we are simply facilitators in this process and are available to help those within the community that know or have developed trust in our ministers. Ingrained in our teaching is to be good law abiding citizens.”
The pastor said the church would be praying that the effort will be successful.
“We have at least one church/office in every district so please use the telephone directory to contact us. Anyone requiring additional information should call the central office at 9492647 or 9498167 and ask to speak with a Pastor. We are committed that anyone who chooses to use this option will remain anonymous. We congratulate the Police Commissioner, Detective Superintendent Marlon Bodden and their team for this noble endeavour,” Pastor Powell added.
The month long gun amnesty began on 10 May and will conclude on 10 June 2010. The amnesty operates 7 days a week from 7.00 a.m. until 7.00 p.m. Anyone with information about gun crime should contact their local police station, call the RCIPS confidential tip-line 949-7777, or call Crime Stoppers 800-8477 (TIPS).
Category: Local News
Can we hand them in on Saturdays?
Just Askin, Hahahahahaha, you really hit the nail on the head. I would like to see a SDA person answer this truthfully.
Dont need tohave church in doors every Sunday Night; What about having OPEN AIR CHURCH revival services on Sunday Nights in suspected areas where suspected criminals hangout, with an alter call for "GUNS" Jesus is calling, Those who are weary come home. We never can tell, someone may hear thIs call.
I would just like to point out that news 27 and the police made a really dumb mistake in telling the public that all guns handed in will be finger printed to see if they are involved in any crimes. So you want people to hand in guns but then they might also be turning in their family members? How stupid can you be to disclose that type of information. Im sure that stopped a few mothers from handing in guns….Thanks….Commen sense in really not that commen here in cayman lately.
At the end of the day, I know the results will reveal that the amount of illegal or unwanted firearms that have been turned in…… to the police, would have dramatically decreased as opposed to firearm amnesty’s that were conducted prior to 2005. This will be so, even though we all know that many more illegal firearms now exist on our streets and violent crimes against the person are ten times higher than it was prior to 2005.
The fact remains that very few people in the Cayman Islands have confidence in the RCIPS and it’s UK management team. It’s amazing how the management team will use "naive/gullable Caymanians" to try and promote "their local causes" but yet these Caymanians have no chance in hell of ever being promoted from their present position/rank. In fact, when the results are in, these Caymanians will be frowned upon as being absolutely useless amongst it’s own country of people, for not getting a relatively desired amount of illegal firearms from off our streets.
How in the world can you expect to promote the RCIPS in "good light/standing" amongst Caymanians and residents alike, when you have one of Operation Tempura’s main associates now leading a department called the RCIPS Anti-Corruption Unit ??
HOW ABSOLUTELY AND UTTERLY EMBARRASSING !!!!
Need I say anymore.
No you need not say any more as the first comment you wrote was complete tosh.
Like other lazy Caymanians you try to push the blame for your societies problems on everybody else, in this case the UK officers in the RCIPS. The UK nofficers have their hands tied trying to run the department. It is full of mid ranking Caymanian numpties, too lazy and incompetent to do the required job, corrupt beyond belief and unwilling to take instructions or training from foreigners.
Tempura failed because the extent of the corruption was way too deep and all the Caymanians closed ranks and were unwilling to co-operate and indict their cousins, brothers and uncles.
The corruption that is infested so deeply into the Caymanian officers and government is the prime reason that your island is a dump. Don’t blame everybody else, we are all here trying to make it better.
OK, let’s talk about who is lazy, who is corrupt and who represents the greatest position of a "Looney Tune" in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service today.
Firstly, why is it that since 2005 when the RCIPS came under the complete contol/leadership by "top cop’s" from the UK including most inter-department’s heads now, crimes have escalated to the point where such lawlessness is so blatantly exhibited in society today ?? This is so, even in broad daylight or during the early evening hours. In fact, Crime’s Against the Person are on such a rise and catching up with Crimes Against Property, it’s almost like the oil spill rising to the surface down in the Gulf of Mexico. It appears that we need to be more concerned as citizens about being shot to death while getting petrol at a gas station; than getting our homes and businesses burgled.
What are the highly payed and expert UK investigators/leaders in the RCIPS doing about this ?? Where is the leadership, or is this no longer being taught at Bramshill anymore, or perhaps our imported expert investigators/managers/leaders were off campus during the day it was being taught, but was perhaps at the pub nearby. One really has to wonder !!!!!
If you all are such expert investigators/leaders, why is it that not one single so called lazy, corrupt Caymanian or anybody for that matter, can ever be properly arrested, charged or convicted for a crime involving corruption in the Cayman Islands??
Oh, and I suppose it’s not only Caymanins that are making your job so difficult in the Cayman Islands to prosecute for corruption. Let’s not forget the sitting Canadian judge who was supposed to be on the other side as well, but yet he was wrongfully arrested by a team of expert UK investigators who did not know their as&* from a hole in the ground, but yet they caused us Caymanians to pay millions of CI $$$$ in law-suits to bail their sorry ass#$ out, while they all ran back to the UK claiming foul. Such professionalism at it best !!!!!!!
Why is it thatwe haven’t seen or read of at least 1,000 lbs of Ganja being seized in the Cayman Islands in any one police operation at sea or on land, since 2005 ?? Why is this, despite having a highly sophisticated helicopter, (Cayman Helicopters as well) two go fast interceptors and another high tech vessel to acomplish these missions with ?? Oh, and let’s not forget our re-invented intelligence led policing from the UK. What a farce !!!!
Did Derek Haines have all this high tech anti-crime assets at his disposal when he ran DTF ?? Long gone are the days when Derek Haines and the old DTF staff use-to kick ass hard and seize 4,000 -5,000 pounds of ganja and kilo’s of cocaine in just one operation around the Cayman Islands, almost every month. Let’s not forget the first AK-47 recovered and the dozens of handguns and drugs recovered all over the island by the former heads of DTF; who fought fire with fire to protect the citizens of this country. In fact, on two such occassions I recall, justifiable fire was fought with fire and stood the test of close scrutiny. (North Sound and East End remember; the Old Bracker dosen’t joke when it comes to criminals smuggling drugs in our country and firing guns at police)
Today it’s a joke, they fire on a convoy of police cars in central George Town as if they are the Taliban in Karbul and police don’t even attempt to return firearm because they are afraid they will be penalized by the UK system. These policies are like when the Americans were fighting in Vietnam, they were fighting with their arms tied behind their backs and when they returned home, they arrived in bitter shame. You shouldn’t attempt to fight a war unless you are prepared to kill the enemy by whatever means necessary.
I had to laugh until I almost wet in my pants recently, to learn of an senior UK officer whom arrived here in 2005, who I’m sure never even put his feet in salt water or went on-board a vessel in his life until he got here. Apparently he now is an expert on marine matters and wants to instruct a seasoned DTF marine commander while preparing for a drug operation, on the "proper procedure" on how to board a Jamaican canoe laden with drugs/guns in the middle of the ocean at night !!! Can you imagine this, he now wants to instruct a seasoned DTF marine commander like "KILO BRAVO" on how he should properly board a Jamaican canoe while out at sea in the middle of the night. When the officer resisted his stupidity, he claims that this native is so hard to manage !!!! HELLO, HELLO OUTTHERE, IS THIS MAN FOR REAL OR IS HE ONE OF THEM UK LOONEY TUNES THAT I’M TALKING ABOUT !!!!!
This DTF officer is considered to be one of the top ace’s in Anti-narcotic and firearm marine interception in the caribbean, who excelled in training as a vessel commander at some of the top police marine schools in Europe-Canada-USA-Caribbean and even went undercover with DEA in operations outside Colombian waters. He has ceased more drugs/guns than anyone else I know in DTF’s history. However, this "LOONEY TUNE FROM THE UK " now wants to tell him how to properly intercept a Jamaican canoe in the middle of the ocean in the pitch black of the night ?? How absolutely pathetic……. it is in the RCIPS these days !!!! This is how far it has gone ladies and gentlemen, sooooooooooo sooooooooooo farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr awayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy !!!!
I tell you what, I will give credit where credit is due on a matter should it ever arises. If there was ever a contest where we had to judge who are the top "RUMHEADS AND LOONEY TUNES" entering and establishing themselves in the Caribbean, for sure then are the true experts and champions of this. In fact, I will bow down to them and accept that they are the true and undeniable experts in this field, if there was ever such a contest. No one can argue about that, absolutely no one !!!
But as for policing, Sherlock Holmes needs to be reinvented and be sent to Bramshill, Scotland Yard H.Q. and Merseyside Police to teach hands on training and policing all over again to these "Looney Tones" who arrive here as so called experts which such professionalism to exhibit, to our so called lazy and corrupt natives.
Let’s not forget another one of our top expert UK investigators/leaders who is none other than Mark Shields who was in the caribbean not long ago, "teaching and leading" the Jamaica Constabulary Force who how to reduce crime and murders in Jamaica. HELLO, HELLO, HELLO OUT THERE ONCE AGAIN !!!
Was it not him who was an expert from Scotland Yard who couldn’t even properly investigate a sudden death of a visting cricket coach in a hotel room from clear natural causes, without launching a massive manhunt all over Jamaica for would be killers !!!
And as for Brian Gibbs and David Ballantyne, let’s talk about them some other time, shall we ???
AY YA Yiiii!!! Did you have to spank him so hard?? That’s going to leave a mark….
Jolly good show, Anon Sat 3:37! What we need is our first ever Caymanian Commissioner of Police Buel Braggs back at the top of the RCIPS.
You know I am inclined to believe some of what you have said , However, Any police force in the world you go you will find some of the same things that is taking place here in Cayman. Only difference is that in other police force you will find 99% of the force is from that nation.
It is not that way here. So it will never get any better, If nations are gong to be working against nations and the public is paying the price. Dont you all have meetings anymore with each other and bring to the table all your comments? If under my arm stinks and I dont smell it, then it is time you tell me go buy deodorant. So I think any officer who is being lazy and not wanting to take orders should be told about it. To hell with Political feed back. I am going to be very out spoken and say, that the RCIP is top heavy with expatriate ranks. If you do not agree with me, then I ask you to go and count them.
Another thing that should be taken into consideration is that your babysitter, gardner, maid, cook, or bottle washer will work hard for you if you treat him/her good. If he/she is ignored and made to feel that he is nothing but a helper, then you will get exactly that from him. Read between the lines.
Hats off to the Seventh Day Adventists for joining forces in the gun amnesty!
Too bad that it’s at such a late stage; there are probably many people who were scared to drop off illegal guns at the police stations.
With still a week left to go in the amnesty, I hope they collect many more illegal weapons.
lol… oh please…
And did anyone thought about buying the guns from the criminals? Like rewarding whoever brings in a weapon?
Think man! Think!!! These guys are not going to hand over their weapons for nothing!
Buy guns from criminals? have you gone bananas? They will take the money and buy a bigger gun. Keep criminals on the run that is what we need to do.