Crime falling on Cayman Brac
(CNS): While there is some concern that drug and alcohol abuse is becoming more prevalent, crime figures for Cayman Brac fell this year, the area commander, Chief Inspector Malcolm Kay (left), told residents this week in the last of the current round of RCIPS public meetings. In January through August this year 94 crimes were logged, ranging from assault to burglary, down from 119 crimes for the same period last year (147 for the whole of 2009). Kay speculated that the rise last year was a result of Hurricane Paloma in November 2008, which resulted in an influx of people to help with the clean-up operations. “I didn’t realize it was that amount,” said Bracker Arlen Reid. I’d like to see that go down.”
The effects of the hurricane on the people here plus the addition of construction and clean-up workers “bringing their social and driving habits from elsewhere” offered a plausible explanation for the spike in crime last year, Kay said. While the vast majority of offences were traffic related, assault occasioning actual bodily harm was the most serious crime recorded, down from 33 to 22 incidents, the majority of which were domestic disputes, with common assaults down from 13 to just two.
Police Commissioner David Baines said the Sister Islands also had two of the best police stations and the Brac station was the first to be equipped with video equipment for interviewing suspects. He said the recent use of the helicopter to locate missing fishermen at Pickle Bank (a shallow area about 75 miles from Cayman Brac) proved that it could be used in Sister Islands operations.
The commissioner said that the close community spirit on the Sister Islands was something they wanted to recreate on Grand Cayman. However, while the Brac is still a place where people don’t bother to lock their houses, Baines asked people to lock up anyway. “It just takes one offender to ruin it,” he said.
One issue that had been raised in Little Cayman was hurricane preparedness, Baines said and explained that, in case of emergency on the Sister Islands, there were possible plans to have a dedicated team of one inspector and 10 constables ready to drop in and go wherever Kay needed them.
Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor Connolly, who is the second elected member for the district and sat on the panel with Baines, Kay and Community Affairs Minister Mike Adam, voiced her concern about criminal elements “infiltrating the Brac”, and wondered if there was a way to stop them coming to the island. The DP also noted the rise in alcohol and, to a lesser extent, drug abuse and said there was concern for the young people.
Police staffing on the Brac was down four constables – there are eight currently, who work with Kay and newly promoted Sergeant Ashton Ferguson – and the CoP said that the island would “get its share” when new staff was recruited. A process that is underway to fill 27 of the 85 vacancies: nine new recruits were in training, ten experienced detectives were on their way and the RCIPS was also recruiting from the US, UK, Canada and the Caribbean.
No one had any complaints about current police officers on the Brac, but after hearing about past experiences of rude officers, Baines said he had “no truck with bad attitude”. He said they were bringing people who had had bad experiences with the police into the training sessions for new recruits to explain what it was like so the recruits can understandthe difference attitude makes.
Referring to the RCIPS Oath of Office he said that officers who couldn’t follow that had no place in the service. “If you fail that you fail the community,” he said.
Category: Local News
Can we just have good news without all of this negativity?
Since Kay has been in place I can honestly say that I actually see the police force doing productive community based policing…. like sitting outside of the schools checking for parents who refuse to follow the law and use car seats and seat belts…. might seem mundane to some but it is about positive police presense in the community that is visible now where it wasn’t 4 years ago. I don’t see police driving there kids around in police cars to school or running errands and grocery shopping anymore which puts them in a much more positive light within the community. Wake up Grand Cayman force you aren’t present in the community in a positive way therefore cannot collectively earn respect from the citizens…. Try hiring more Caymanians or at least expats that aren’t from a crime and corruption ridden culture… sorry closest neighbour but it is the truth….time to set the bar a little higher for new RCIP employees. Sometimes you get what you pay for!
Seriously you Brackers could win the lottery and still find plenty to moan about it.
Oh how we forget the past. It is sure funny how some persons who do the least work are love by the people and are showered with accolades. Yet the persons( predecessors) who ushered in the needed and real changes and turned around the Cayman Brac police station and dire situation it was in are long gone and forgotten . I assumed they must be the rude officers who our Commissioner has eluded to. They must be in the rotten eggs section according to some. Yes of course the statistics don’t lie but there is a couple of really troubling questions about the Brac and Little Cayman and the amount drugs that whine up on these shores up here. Strangely no mention of such things any more another thing of the past too, How come we hear of no substantial bust no drugs recovered no drugs destroyed. I guess all must be in the past. I am not judging anyone put before some jump up and down about our Chief Inspector please Google Caymanian Compass Police review evidence disclosure 13/8/2008 another thing of past i guess and ask yourself who and where Mr Anglin is now. Just some food for thought and may the chips lie where they may. The truth shall set us free they say.
Who can say where the road goes, only time. We will see in 4 years time when the commissioner completes his 4 years contract if he was the great reformer and visionary he now wants us to believe he is.After all We have seen and heard it all before.
For the record not this A. morgan (Ann Elaine morgan)
"Police Commissioner David Baines said the Sister Islands also had two of the best police stations and the Brac station was the first to be equipped with video equipment for interviewing suspects. He said the recent use of the helicopter to locate missing fishermen at Pickle Bank (a shallow area about 75 miles from Cayman Brac) proved that it could be used in Sister Islands operations."
What does this have to do with C.I Malcom Kay running a good show on the Btac, with a smaller staff and getting the job done! Granted he is not dealing with the thugs that GC has – the Brac should be happy not to have them, BUT he has gotten results in the pos. something Baines cannot do on GC. While the lifes that were saved with the helicopter is great, it has nothing to do with the reduction of crime, nor do the videos.
This is more of the same out of him. Next round in Grand Cayman of his road show the sequal will be how crime has been cut in the Brac due to modern policing with the use of the Helicopter and video recordings.
what has happen to all the police boats that was suppose to be shared between the three islands. As far as can understand the Niven D was for Cayman Brac & Little Cayman. Now is the time we need this boat station here on the Island with Two or Three Officers. Come on Julianna now is the time to wake up and protect or Island from the drugs coming in from the other boats that pass along our shores that we don’t no about.
Give credit where credit is due. Aunt Julie must also be commended for the low crime rate. She has made the Brac the land of milk and honey. As long as the criminals have enough to drink and smoke the crime rate will remain low, however when that situation changes you can look for the crime rate to balloon again.
Comic relief thanks
The Commissioner, with respect, missed the key element to the reduction of crime in the Brac. It is not the level of equipment located at the police station or that the helicopter flew to the Pickle Bank.
It is due quite simply to the great abilities of Ch. Insp. Kay, his integrity and professionalism. CI Kay’s transfer to the Brac was Grand Cayman’s loss.
It is regrettable that the Commissioner places such store by things rather than people. I have yet to see a police car or helicopter arrest someone.
Let us hope that ChiefInspector Kay’s return to Grand Cayman does not lie with the Commissioner – no doubt CAL will soon be blessed with a cargo of batons to be shipped to ORIA to assist our own boys in blue.
Sadly with comments such as those attributed in this article there is little hope for Grand Cayman.
If Cayman wants to see a reduction in crime, we need Ch. Insp Kay here with more police of his calibre.
And……………. what exactly has Ch. Insp. Kay done that others before him did not do – apart from work on what his predecessors had put in place???? Explain to us the public what he is doing that is so special that others before him did not do.
Read the article – crime has FALLEN. (Because of Kay)
Crime has not fallen because of him – the criminals have left and maybe because some of the rotten eggs in the force have been gotton rid of.
Leave Malcolm here, hes the best Inspector we have had yet,Hes a proffessional and hes a nice guy.
Nothing against the man, but the best we had yet was our own Caymanian, Inspector Woods. Sad day for the Brac when he left and a sad day for the RCIP when he retired.
and please dont leave out Supt. SEALES one of our best and finest.
Like has been said before Kay may be good and ranks up there with the best but it is an insult to the others before him who were/are just as good or better to say that he is the best which he is not.