Gun man robs gas station
(CNS): George Town detectives are appealing for witnesses in the latest armed robbery which took place last night. At around 10:25 (Wednesday 18 August) a single gun men entered the Esso Service Station at the junction of Shedden Road and Thomas Russell Way in George Town. The man who was armed with what appeared to be a handgun entered the Gas Station threatened the employees and ordered them to put the cash in a bag and escaped on foot. He left the premises with a sum of money and was last seen walking on Printer’s Way. The suspect is described as being 5′ 9” tall, dark-brown complexion with a round face and clean shaved; he spoke with a Jamaican accent.
He was wearing a brown T shirt, black short pants, black shoes and black glasses and had on a black cap.
No shots were fired and no-one was injured in the incident. Police have not said if the gas station was using CCTV.
Category: Headline News
Ridicule religion all you want but when Caymanians started losing their faith, morals and a general appreciation for the basic Ten Commandments, all hell broke loose.
Why do you think financial institutions invented credit/debit cards?
Was it so we do not have to walk around with cash anymore regardless of where we are going with it?
Should we not make the use of these cards mandatory in certain retail industries or whatever as much as possible?
Keep the cash floats in the register to an absolute minimum at all times for those who do not possess one yet. If they have to wait for their change each time, it just may persuade them to get one too.
Perhaps the local banks can make it even more attractive to have at least a debit card for everybody here if providing credit is not an option. Perhaps the banks can also elaborate more on the benefits of obtaining a debit card such as reward points etc. which I believe most banks do already.
If the criminals know there will never be more then a couple of dollars in there, they just may not bother getting locked up for stealing pennies. And make sure that it is wide published in a similar fashion they do with pizza delivery personnel on their vehicles for instance.
Take away the cash just may result in less crime.
Just a thought…………….
Good point and I agree. I make sure every employee opens a bank account and applies for a card. We pay them online and they don’t have to risk the cash at all. AND they may get the added benefit (I hope) of learning to save…
Can’t really make it mandatory to use debit cards because there is a LARGE percentage of the lowest paid workers in Cayman (domestics, helpers, etc.) who dont have bank accounts. And check out the average work permit construction worker, be it Jamaican, Honduran, Filipino etc…they dont have bank accounts either. They pay their local expenses in cash and send the rest of their funds out to their home country through the cash money transfer system because in most instances it is cheaper on both ends to use the money transfer institution then to send a wire thru a bank for which one is charged the outgoing wire fee and the receiver pays an incoming wire fee in most instances.
You cant make something mandatory if a large part of the population doesnt use that system.
I am aware of that, we need to find ways to change that with perhaps some help from the banks to make it more attractive for all intended purposes.
As with the comment below, employers can help with that too. If we all give a little, we could hopefully accomplish a lot for everyone’s benefit, except the criminals of course.
Sounds like he hasn’t changed his clothes since he robbed the Tortuga shop. You should soon be able to smell him before you see him.
I ask Mr. Baines and the so called "honorable" members of the government. If the police are a reactive force typically, and the criminals are armed, what are the private citizens to do when we are invaded? Are we to call the police and wait 30 min or more for a response. Only to give a discription that goes something like this "5’10"-6’0" male of medium to dark complection, medium build wearing a dark colored clothes, running shoes, hooded jacket speaking with a Cayman/Jamacian accent, last seen fleeing on foot into the bush… meanwhile, the security of home or work has been stripped from any of the innocent victims, and they fear the night or anyone that reminds them of the night they questioned "if this is IT!"
What are we to do? You sit behind a badge, a private security detail… You deny us the ability to protect ourselves with "firearms" yet the criminals have firearms. You give us no solutions, except to say back in jolly old England we don’t have guns. Guess what, THIS ISN’T JOLLY OLD ENGLAND!
You can not ask us to sit back and be passive victims! You can not ask us to defend ourselves by using only our hand against guns or the threat of guns. If you will not allow us to have guns and fight fire with fire, give us a chance with less than lethal weapons, like pepper spray, tazers… How is my wife to protect my children or herself when I am not around?
Mr. Baines can you support less than lethal weapons? Honorable ministers, how can you oppose allowing the citizens and residents of this island to defend themselve? Do something and do it now, that is what we are paying each and everyone of you for. Do not forget that fact!
Sincerely
Kent McTaggart
The stuff about "no shots were fired" and "no-one was injured" really grate on me, even though I absolutely appreciate the need to report them. Like it’s not really as bad as it could have been. Truth is I’m crying inside every time I hear of such abominations happening in the Cayman I knew and must now come to terms with having disappeared. It’s like a death in the family.
No need for a getaway car in Cayman. Just stroll away from the scene of the crime ignoring the police station 200m away.
Another day, another armed robbery. Not really news anymore.
Maybe CNS should have a special crime section where the daily armed robberies can be reported, to keep the regular news section uncluttered by these now-daily non-news events.
Twyla: You are on the right track. It’s time to start looking toward bars and bullet-proof glass on the buildings. This should make a good bit of local business for someone wanting to enter the security business. A flyer dropped off at all the gas stations, stores and food joints would drum up several months worth of business straight-away.
Hey Elmer,
Can we declare "open season" on "wobbers", ahem I mean "wabbits"?
Yosemite Sam
Well I read somewhere that the police are bringing in six belgian malinois dogs from the netherlands, well are they bringing in the handlers also. These dogs take a special type of handler and all experienced trainers will tell you that it takes a special type of handler to work with them. The black turvern [ its a dutch dog also ] that they brought from England didn’t work out too well last time, it bit the handler and wound up being euthanized because of serious agression issues. But all malinois are not like that, they are really good dogs paired with the right handler. Talk to most U.S. law enforcement agencies that use malinois and they will tell you that the pairing of dog and Handler is one of the most important aspects of putting together a K-9 team. Also alot will tell you that they wont use them because they are a nervie breed and they are extremely sharp[ liabality involved]. But if used correctly I think these K-9’s could make a serious dent in crime and deliver a great service to the police and the community. So criminals had better beware.Maybe even find a new line of work.Because there is always the chance that the RCIPS K-9 unit could get their act together with these new dogs and make a difference in crime prevention .Thus giving us some much needed relief. Good luck RCIPS.
The Belgian Malinois is on the band list of dogs. I am sorry not even the Police should be able to bring in band dogs, especially the Malinois. They are using their own "so called" handlers, what a joke. So laws are in effect but certain departments can deviate from them. Who is going to ensure that these dogs are being bred out for money? like what they are doing with their Rotweiler. Who is going to ensure these dogs are being cared for because that was a load of crap what the commissioner had printed on the care of these dogs. They are left in kennels and forgotten about, including being tested positive for heartworms on more then one K9. Do your research. The law is the law!!! You can’t just change it to suit your needs. The writer above is 100% correct on the description of these dogs, so whoever recommended this breed to the RCIPS wants their handlers to be eatten.
Wow. I didnt know we had band dogs in Cayman! Do they play musical instruments? it must be really cool to watch their band play!
The description of the person fits the Tortuga Liquor store robbery suspect. So we got to start looking for this person, casing the streets of George Town.
Well, the Tortuga guy was seen walking on Walkers Road, this guy was seen walking on Printer’s Way. Who is watching him walking?
Another gun crime !…This gun was in control of the man. (Not the man in control of the gun) …or the head line would have read
"Man gun robs gas station" or should it be "station gas" ?
Gun control advocates would tell you that there is a chance that this gun came from a legal source. So the first thing to do is stop all legal guns.
Because if there were no legal guns, then this man may not have had access to a gun to commit this crime.
But I say if there was no money, then there would be no crime, so the first thing to do is to do away with money.
Not to worry good people, the way the economy is we will shortly have no crime….wait it does not work that way…no money means ….more crime….right ?
Your 8/19/10 — 9:17 blogger!
Your senseless noncontribution to this crime spree communique is so baseless and stupid, but it’s your opinion!
No where in this civilized world where there are legal firearms that crime is higher than if there weren’t any at all. That’s a baseless conclusion.
As an experienced firearm handler in Cayman and the USA I highly opposed to more legal gun controls for upright citizens. I wish the Government and Commissioner would respect the citizens right to bear arms and give us a chance to defend ourselves for these few bandits.
XXXXXX
The next issue the writer brings to light is the use of credit/debit cards for payments instead of cash is a great idea. The problem with that is, these bandits with turn to home envasions and street robberies which could poise another huge problem, a very serious problem, the envasion and damage to our tourism product.
I guess sometimes I need to be more "ass" than "smart." The point of the above was to stress that it is the individual (Man) and not the Gun that is the problem. To draw an analogy between existing legal guns in the society and money/cash in the society.
Eliminating cash would reduce the temptation to steal it, but that is obviously not a practical solution. As it is an intergral of modern life…..and for all who say we should use credit/debit cards my response is that the criminal will have to spend more time with the individual as they force them to go to the bank and take the money out….if I’m part of the passive crew I would want them to steal quickly and move on without hurting me…not likely with the ATM scenario
So I may be an "ass". But I’m not the only one that has things ass-backwards. Criminals don’t need guns to be criminals, but people who care to protect them selves and their property do.
Doors should be locked to all gas stations and only unlocked for you to enter once you have removed helmets, hats, sun-glasses etc….they used to do this at some of the banks
My3ents. Why cant we change things a bit at Gas Stations and other fast food places; so that there is no physical contact with cashiers, where by you can drive up to or walk up to a window, order or ask for what you want. Or you may dine in, but there is no physical contact with cashiers.
Then you are told how much the total cost by a clerk, You pay, receive your change and then asked to move on to the pick up window.
This order is then handed to a floor clerk, who then goes and collect your purchase, and it is given to you at the pick up window,and you are on your way.
Doors and windows are always kept closed, and make sure you do not position the cashier directly in front of the window.. Just some food for thought.
That is exactly how gas (petrol) stationsoperate in the UK after a certain time at night. You pump your gas or order what you want from a window with a drop door whereby you give the money and the cashier gives you your change or food or whatever, no physical contact and you stay outside.
In Cayman, the only gas station that has anything similar to this is Walkers Rd Texaco where after 9pm the doors are locked, there is security, cameras and only when the cashier has seen that it is clear are you let in.
Maybe the others stations should take heed.
They could put the bulk of the cash into a slotted safe that can only be opened by a manager not on site. Keep a small amount of float in the til so it wont be worth it to a robber to hold up the cashier.
That sounds like the same guy who robbed theTortuga liquor store recently…..the same type of disguise, similar accent and escaping on foot….Sounds like road runner to me….Coyote you messing up again!
And it starts again.
Once again, I suggest the gas station owners do what many of these types of businesses in the US do.
Offer the police free coffee whenever they stop by. This will encourage their presence and cost you little or nothing for that benefit.
Yeah, I believe they tried that…a good friend of mine is a manager of a local gas station and told me they were willing to do that, but the officers weren’t satisfied with just coffee…they started badgering the station owners for free food, soda..snacks…etc…so they got pi$$ed and stopped…pity that a few bad apples had to spoil it for everybody…
I do hope you are seriously telling the truth, because I want to believe you; .because there are some people who I know just cant get enough. However, Caymanian (Home grown police) have too much pride to beg for food, they will die from hungry first. The White man is notgoing to do it either. You would know your customers, and dont paint them all with the same paint brush. Ye neva hear wha dem say, everything good fe eat nuh good fe talk.
You know I agree with you. Gas stationsshould offer free coffee,tea or soda to police in uniform at all times.
Caymanians are not mean persons, and if they were managing these fast food, places and gas stations they would give police free tea and coffee, but that is not the case here, The only two words you would hear at these places is no maam, I cant give the police free coffee maam. Cold as ice. But you Park and watch who arrives when it is closing time.