Archive for October 13th, 2010

Miller gets CCTV in district

Miller gets CCTV in district

| 13/10/2010 | 27 Comments

(CNS): The independent MLA for North Side has made good on his campaign promise to install CCTV in his constituency. While the rest of the country continues to wait on government’s plans to install cameras island-wide, Ezzard Miller and his district council began raising money straight after the election to buy the security system themselves. Several cameras hooked up to remote monitoring equipment are now installed throughout North Side in strategic locations. The equipment stores the digital film for more than two weeks, which can be viewed from North Side and Bodden Town police stations. Law enforcement now has a 24/7 bird’s eye view of the district, which Miller hopes will deter crime.

 
Miller said yesterday, as he showed off the new equipment at the small police station in North Side, that the installation was down to the donations made by people in the district. He said, however, that he had encountered a number of bureaucratic difficulties along the way that almost derailed the project — not least a bill from the planning department of $400 for the inspection of each camera mounted on a CUC light pole.
 
“Here we were trying to do something for the good of the community and we came up against bureaucrats,” lamented Miller, the first and only MLA to directly take on the security of his constituents.  He queried whether government would need to pay planning $400 for each camera it planned to mount on light poles once the government CCTV scheme began. Miller said the planning department refused to waive the fees as it insisted that each camera on each pole had to have an electrical inspection.
 
As a result he had to raise considerably more money from the community than first expected but his constituents were behind him in the project and so they wrote the cheques, he said. Miller also noted that CUC is charging $20 per month for each camera on one of its poles, but the only other costs will be the internet connection and Miller said if it reduces crime in the district it will be worth the money.
 
Linda Connolly, chair of the North Side Neighbourhood Watch Committee, said that the cameras were very welcome and sent a clear message. “This lets the criminals know that we mean business in North Side and we believe this will deter individuals from coming to our district to commit crime,” she added.
 
Deputy Chief Inspector Richard Harford of the RCIPS agreed that it should be a deterrent but also a very useful tool for the police in the issue of detection. “It is a real help to us to combat crime,” he said. “CCTV in private homes and business assist the police greatly and these cameras around the district will be very effective as the picture quality is very good.”
 
The sophisticated technology of the CCTV system produces top quality images from the cameras in both the day and night. They are clear enough to see detail and the technician was able to demonstrate that police will be able to zoom in on license plates and faces, helping them to ID individuals committing crime and the vehicles they have used.
 
Miller said the cameras were all placed at locations across the district selected by the police and were not pointing at peoples homes or invading privacy. He said their placement had been decided by the RCIPS in order to assist them in their ability to apprehend the criminals. However, Miller said, the network could easily be extended and any home owners association that wanted to purchase more cameras for their property those could be added to the district monitoring system, he explained.
 
Keen to ensure that he helps to tackle the rising crime in his once peaceful district, Miller said he has been waiting for thirty years to get the level of policing he would want to see in his constituency, hence the decision to take the problem on directly.
 
“It’s not a silver bullet,” the independent MLA said, “but we think it will help.”

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UK university tuition fees may double

UK university tuition fees may double

| 13/10/2010 | 21 Comments

(The Guardian): The business secretary, Vince Cable, is struggling to stem the first serious revolt within the Liberal Democrat party since the formation of the coalition after he backed a doubling of university tuition fees. Cable told the Commons that he endorsed the "main thrust" of Lord Browne’s review of tuition fees, published earlier in the day. In doing so, Cable reneged on an election promise to abolish tuition fees – a promise made by all Liberal Democrat MPs. Browne’s recommendations mean that tuition fees could double from the autumn of 2012, and even go higher to as much as £12,000. Browne said there should be no formal cap, but he expected the average cost of fees to be £6,000 a year.

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Psychiatric report needed for violent attacker

Psychiatric report needed for violent attacker

| 13/10/2010 | 5 Comments

(CNS): A psychiatric evaluation report has been called for before 31-year-old Chad Anglin can be sentenced, the court heard today. Anglin pleaded guilty last month to wounding and indecent assault following an attack on a young woman in Garvin Road, West Bay, in June. The woman’s throat was cut in what police said was a violent attack but her life was saved by officers on patrol who approached the car in which Anglin was making his attack. Following the incident Anglin was on the run for more than three weeks before he was arrested. According to reports on Cayman27, Anglin, who is in custody, will return to court for sentencing on 2 November.

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Marine warning issued as Paula heads for Cuba

Marine warning issued as Paula heads for Cuba

| 13/10/2010 | 0 Comments

(CNS): Updated Wednesday 10am — Although Hurricane Paula is almost 320 miles to the west –northwest of Grand Cayman and poses no immediate threat to the Cayman Islands, heavy swells are expected along the west and south coasts of the Cayman Islands today. Local forecasts call for heavy showers today with thunder mostly over Grand Cayman. Temperatures will rise to the mid 80’s and winds will be east to southeast 10 to 15 knots. Seas will be moderate to rough with wave heights of 5 to 7 feet, especially along the west and south coasts this afternoon and a small craft warning remains in effect. Similar weather is expected tomorrow and through Friday morning as Hurricane Paula moves over Western Cuba and weakens.

 A marine warning is also in place locally as swells pose a threat to boating and beach activities small crafts are advised to take all necessary action to ensure safety. Residents are also being warned to avoid swimming on the south and west coasts. Currents may be strong particularly around channels. 
 
Boaters should exercise caution near the coast in these areas due to the possibility of a significant ‘ground swell.’ Exercise caution and stay well back when observing large waves. Successive waves can vary substantially in size and magnitude. 
 
Hurricane Paula is currently moving toward the north near 5mph and the NHC said this general motion is expected to continue this morning. 
 
Maximum sustained winds remain near 100 mph with higher gusts making Paula is a category two hurricane on the saffir-simpson hurricane wind scale.  Paula has grown little in size since its formation with Hurricane-force winds extending outward only up to 15 miles fromthe centre, tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles.
 
    
 

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