Masked robbers hit GT store
(CNS): Police are now investigating an attempted robbery at Wendy’s in Savannah last night followed by an armed robbery at the Reflections 24-hour store in George Town early this morning. Two masked men, both armed with guns, got away with around $600 from Reflections on Godfrey Nixon Way at around 12:25am, while the two robbers at Wendy’s left empty handed at around 10:40pm as the restaurant was closed and they were unable to gain entry. Police have made no arrests and were unable to say if either of the incidents was connected. No one was injured during the robbery or the attempted robbery, though one of the men at reflections was believed to be carrying a shotgun. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
Police said that officers on patrol attended the Reflections store after a member of staff alerted them that two masked robbers had just fled after gaining entry into the store as one customer was leaving. The men demanded cash and threatened to shoot staff before taking off on foot with the money.
Both men were armed, one with what appeared to be a shotgun the other with a handgun. One of the men was described as around 6feet with a brown complexion and wearing blue jeans and a black top. The second robber was wearing brown pants and a black top and was around 5 feet 9 inches, also with a brown complexion.
Police have no descriptions of the men at Wendy’s, who they say attempted to gain entry to the store that was already closed by knocking on the door with a hand gun, when none of the staff came to the door the two men fled in a dark coloured car.
Police are appealing for witnesses to either incident and are asking anyone with information to call George Town CID 949 4222.
Category: Headline News
First off I am not trying to make this an expat vs local issue after all one of my parents is local and the other is not…Any country which has nationals who are unable to find employment will be subject to crime. I know of many able bodied Caymanians who are seeking employment & are unable to find it. I have seen expat after expat join my company without as much as an advertisement in the newspaper…we can only hope that there will come a day when government will look at make the island a place were it people can live and work without extreme competition.
As unemployment grows amongst the locals, persons on work permits are laid off without having the permits cancelled, more and more businesses suffer and folks find it harder to meet living obligations due to the increased taxes, upon the already bad economy, we are likely to see these types of crimes increase, unfortunately. Anger, hunger, need and frustration is a deadly cocktail to mix. Yet the government seems oblivious.
Dennie,
I know you are a strong advocate for the right to private gun ownership but I am not sure where you stand in regards to armed police in the Cayman Islands.
I am still undecided on this issue. The statistics and standing set of circumstances appear to call for armed police to properly tackle the relatively new criminal component of our society, however, I shudder at the thought of quite a number of RCIPS officers being granted the power of a gun.
Honestly, there are times when I think to myself – the alternative may be useful but I am still glad things are the way they are … I’ll take my chances out there.
(Personally, I know many a cop that would love nothing more than to have the power to intimidate me with their newly arrived tool. They have attempted to do so in a variety of other ways – why would a loaded gun not be an even more attractive method?)
Basically, I am not sure whether this society is mentally mature enough for a fully armed police force. The introduction of such a drastic change will no doubt have its teething issue to sort out … that "teething" could very well be the lives and serious injuries of a few innocent individuals.
Whodatis,
Thanks for your question.
I wish more parents were not still kids themselves.
I wish parents were not busy pursuing the material things of this world and neglecting their children.
I wish parents would spend quality time with their children, reading to them, talking to them, teaching them the difference between right and wrong… and loving them from day one.
I wish some among us were more willing to teach people how to fish, instead of giving them a fish, that we would believe in their dreams to be inventors of great things, etc.…
I wish more people would cultivate a love for learning and that one day tourists would come to the Cayman Islands for an academic vacation.
I wish that politicians would realize that no Statute has ever improved upon the principles contained in the Ten Commandments.
I could go on, but think you get my point; then crime would be a much smaller issue.
However, Commissioner of Police, Baines said: “… he remembers his own father saying the same thing about the UK and the days of leaving one’s doors open were over everywhere. “I’m sorry to say, those days are gone,” he observed. “This is a more complex world where the haves and the have nots are vastly different.”” Source: http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/headline-news/2010/06/11/crime-increase-official
I wish the words of Commissioner Baines were incorrect, but unfortunately he is right “… those days are gone”.
So, until we get to the point where the root causes of crime are better addressed, I believe crime will continue and might even get worse.
Without getting into too many details, all police officers should all be trained to use firearms proficiently, and should practice more regularly. Officers should not be generally discouraged from lawfully owning personal firearms. Many more patrol units should carry firearms on their person. Armed units should be in every district, at all times of the day and night.
I know police officers who have attempted to intimidate me and after reporting it to the Professional Standards Unit, nothing was done about it. So I have firsthand knowledge of a degree of what you’re talking about, but there are far more good police officers than there are bad ones, just as there are far more law-abiding residents than criminals. In any event, it is the duty of the public hold the police accountable.
The Commissioner of Police should NOT be chairing the Anti-corruption Commission.
Sensible people however, wear seatbelts while driving, not because they wish to be involved in an accident, but as a contingency should they unfortunately get into an accident. Firearms carried by the police should be viewed as a contingency, and not the first tactic or weapon to be deployed when arresting, etc.… someone.
Even though the vast majority of residents are law-abiding, a minority of unlawfully armed criminals can nevertheless terrorize the majority of voluntarily unarmed residents – our current reality!
Thanks for responding.
Think I get your point.
Very well said Dennie. And i agree 100%
I too wish that many of the present day realities (like crime) were not so…but, they are!
And the powers that be should be facilitating the education, training and arming of the Police and law abiding citizens to help.
Unfortunately, it seems those powers that be, are more interested with increasing their own armed security (paid for by us) while hoping (and praying) that the problem will go away…much like the official response to "gangs" years ago. We can see how well that worked out…as today we spend far more on security…and feel increasingly more terrorized.
I read CNS each nite and contemplate my upcoming trip?!?
Should we still keep our holiday plans? Should we just barricade ourselves in our hotel room after a certain time? Should we not walk the 7MB Rd.? Should we not eat out? Should we skip renting a car? It is really getting nerve-racking on the "what should we do’s" when before we just knew to pack our bags and enjoy, rest, relax!
Caymanians will still welcome you (if you are lucky enough to encounter any of us!) but what you should do is be as alert and sensible, as you would be in any city. Seven Mile Beach and Grand Cayman generally is no longer the sleepy town where crime does not happen. We have played catch up with the rest of the world, very successfully I think, and this is the price we all are paying. So, my advice is come, enjoy the beaches and all else we have to offer but be careful while you are here. That’s of course only the common sense thing to do.
I realize some people do not like that "tourists" are contemplating their holiday plans. If you were planning a holiday and were reading about all the crime reports daily, would you be bringing your family to that destination? We have been many times to GC and although we have always found it to be very peaceful and the people to be very hospitable, the reports of gunfire, robbery, hold-ups nightly are very scary. Yes, they may never affect us, but they are happening all over the island, so how is one to know? Then, we read the reports of locals thinking about closing establishments at 9 pm and suggesting curfews…what is one to think?
Peace to all GC and hopefully calm will be restored somehow to the beautiful island that alot of people like to consider "home away from home".
One Queston, How many Caymanians have been approched and were robbed at these stores, gas stations, pizzas place, fastfood restaurants etc. "I thought so." Now finish the sentence.
.. I’m lost. What are you saying?
The businesses being robbed are Caymanian owned, just incase you are implying what I think you are.
How long before restaurants, shops, gas stations, etc. all close by 9PM at night?
I’m guessing that more armed robberies occur per week than houses are sold, despite probably 5-10% of all properties being for sale (let alone for rent). The police & Government need to get a grip on crime: more rewards offered, better protection, increased convictions, tougher penalties.
Nothing seems to be being done.
This is as much a political issue as it is a police problem.
If our elected officials got sufficient pressure from their electorate and showed a sufficient level of concern then the Governor and Chief of Police might start feeling the heat. Dare I ask the question "are they protecting their interests"?
May I remind you that until the PM of Jamaica started feeling the heat that Dudus was living free!
You keep bringing in foreign cops from the same jurisdictions, and you keep getting the same results. Were you expecting anything different for some reason?
You might not want American cops on the island, though they would be effective, but you might consider the Canadian RCMP. They have been in St. Kitts and Nevis and also in Haiti (under the UN), and have been assisting internationally for years.
Read from their web-site:
"For 20 years, Canada has deployed police officers to international peace missions around the world. They assist in rebuilding and strengthening police services in countries that have experienced conflict or upheaval. By building the capacity of foreign police to maintain law and order, Canadian police, in cooperation with international partners, help create a safer and more stable environment."
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/po-mp/index-eng.htm
Or you can keep on with what you’ve always done, and keep getting what you are getting. I hope you fix your island. I’d like to come back for another visit.
I think it is time for the Commissioner of police to resign since he can not get crime under control.
If he has a plan it is obviously usless because we still have a caymanian at large for a month, it is easier to commit a robbery than to get a kids meal at one of the fast food restaurants,illegal guns and gun violence are still rampant and we have only heard of the police interupting one criminal offence.
It is time we take justice in our hands since we are being held hostage in our Island. I have driven along West Bay Road at least fifteen times from Delworths to the West Bay fire station at different times of the night and have not crossed one police vehicle in this area yet we have tourists walking all hours thinking that they are safe.
Are you expecting the police to sleep by your front door?
No matter how often the Commissioner’s friends in high places refer to him as a "very good commissioner" it will not make it a reality until he does so himself and thus far I have seen little evidence of that. Perhaps he is a good man but that does not qualify him for the position he is in. Our island is being overrun by criminals who, I am sure, are laughing at the police and all of us. As another person said in a previous post, a stronger police presence IS needed on 7 Mile Beach and I cannot understand the reason for the thumbs down on that post as everything said is correct. Our tourists especially should not be left to unknowingly fall prey to criminals.
I guess we are not far from having bars on our doors and windows – we are more affluent than that – we will just keep the hurricane shutters down all year round….very sad….and we want a larger population of people who cant afford to live here…
Poor old Mr Baines taking the same old fool fool advice and back in the same old mold as his predecessors head down same old road where failure is immortalized but you are not impecunious of friends or money.
When is this going to stop? Innocent people are being effected.
How about 60 days of curfews and martial law? This will ensure that law abiding citizens are protected and a manner in which the RCIPS can weed out the criminals from the streets.
Like this is only happening in Cayman.
With cameras in the vicinity of Wendys if they are checked , most likely you can at least get the full description of the car. It seems as if theres the same two huligans doing these robberys. While driving at nights one can see all sorts of men roaming our streets. I would strongly suggest that more attention is paid to them by Police stopping and checking them out. Then in cars they drive around with dark shades on their faces. It is very easy to see these criminals but of course the public is afraid to approach them.
just ask for public’s help, who if helped will get shot.. and then police will ask for help again…so basically just attend to calls and do nothing with it..
Soon the Cayman is going to be empty with no expats.. then keep robbing each other…
We need some Middle East justice. You steal you get your hand cut off.
What is really needed are some citizens who are prepared to help the police. We are talking of a place with maybe 50,000 people and nobody knows who are doing these things? I don’t believe it for a moment. All this talk of martial law, how rediculous. I believe that B. Frankyln once said "He who is prepared to sacrifice their freedom and liberty for security deserve neither." Some body out there knows who is doing these acts. Speak up! It’s your civic duty.
Oh yeah… like that’s a great idea. Then when someone is wrongfully convicted (oops, sorry the witness lied) and the government is sued for another $100 million because someone lost their hand (or maybe Cayman should bring in stoning too for adultery…there’s some more good old fashioned mid-east justice) that will really fix Cayman’s problems. C’mon, take a deep breath and use your brain. This is the same mentality that says that if only all Caymanians had guns your problems would be solved. Wrong… there needs to be political pressure and a change in attitudes amongst all Caymanians and for some reason it hasn’t happened yet (maybe if somebody robbed one of big Mac’s businesses?).
If you start stoning Caymanians for adultry it would drastically reduce the population.