Cops admit failings in traffic death case
(CNS): Responding to public concerns that the police had failed to properly investigate the incident which led to the death of 59-year-old Mike Allan Jervis, Chief Superintendent JohnJones has said an enquiry has been launched. Admitting that there may have been failings in the way the investigation had been handled, the senior officer stated that if it had been handled differently, while it would not have changed the sad events for the Jervis family, it may have given them more confidence in the police service. The concerns arise from a six-week delay from the time that Jervis was knocked from his bike by a hit and run driver to the day police launched an appeal for witnesses. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
“There has been some considerable media and public speculation about the handling of this investigation, particularly in relation to the fact that no public appeal for information was made until six weeks following the incident,” CS Jones said in a statement as he offered his condolences to the family.
He added that it would be "inappropriate” to discuss the details of the investigation but the RCIPS had launched an enquiry into a number of aspect s of the case.
“The enquiry will look at all areas of the investigative strategy, including internal and external communication, supervisory procedures and communication, specifically with external agencies such as the Cayman Islands Health Authority,” the senior officer stated. “We know that even if we had handled this matter in a different way it would not have changed the sad events of last week for Mr Jervis or his family but perhaps it would have given them more confidence in us as a police service. Let me assure the family that where we identify failings, changes will be made to ensure that these failings do not happen again. If that means that policies and procedures need to be improved or disciplinary action requires to be taken, we will have no hesitation in doing that.”
With the investigation into the case still open, Jones said police were appealing for more information from the public. The incident occurred around 3.20am on Sunday 27 June in Eastern Avenue, George Town, close to the Cayman Shoe Shop. Jervis was found lying beside his bicycle on the sidewalk suffering from serious head injuries. He was conveyed to the Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town before being airlifted overseas for treatment, where he remained until he passed away on Thursday 21 October. Jervis never regained consciousness following the incident.
Jones said that so far the investigations following the incident revealed that a witness saw two cars in Eastern Avenue around the time of the incident but to date no one has come forward to say that they witnessed the actual events which led to Jervis sustaining the injuries. A car wing mirror was found close to the scene. It belongs to a green Honda Sabre and enquiries are actively ongoing to trace the owners or drivers of this type of car.
Jones said that the RCIPS has recently drafted a new policy for the investigation of fatal and serious road collisions. “This new approach will lead to our traffic investigators receiving a much higher standard of training. Selected officers will begin this training early in the New Year,” he stated.
Category: Local News
From my personal experience with RCIPS, I have interacted with some capable and incapable Caymanian officers and some capable and incapable expat officers. Some years ago I was a witness to an incident and sat for 2 hours while an expat officer tried to take my statement. On numerous occasions I offered to write the statement myself because of the numerous corrections and spelling assistance I had to give him – he declined.
So the illiteracy problem is an RCIPS problem, not a nationality problem therein.
15:31.
If you look at the make-up of the RCIP then you will see what you are looking at is a percentage of people employed that are not of the native land. There are a large amount of Police Officals that are from abroad that were said to have great skill in order to train the locals on how to be a more modern Police Service. Take the chap that is making the statement. A imported mind that is charged with the control of the RCIP.
Now what in fact has taken place is a number of imports of what is suppose to be great Law Enforcement minds that are more of the like of special needs school It is beyond making a mistake that the types of foul-ups canchalked up to something made in error and learning from it. We have jungle like creatures raping our community of moral fiber, hard earned money from people that are working to stay afloat being stolen almost daily, and a Police Service that is fumbling around like a three-legged dancer. I ask, do you really think importing more of the same, putting them on a plane like fruit and welcoming them like a Higlar welcomes their most recent stock to these Islands is the answer? You need to get your head out of your brown nosing a– and see brown for what it is!
We have a Service of Police that is nothing but dead wieght as a general statement. They are here on a large vacation leading around a bunch of people that cannot read or write. Open your eyes and see what is what.
15:31 RCIP needs more trained…….If you even think this way keep it to yourself, Cayman has come a long way without your negativity. People like you will appreciate expats had to be trained for these jobs so then Caymanians can do the same if given the opportunity. Why not monitor your own country’s shortcomings?
RCIPS needs more trained and qualified expats cops and less uneducated, untrained caymanians who are handed jobs because of their nationality……
(apologies in advance for generalaties of this statement but in ‘in general’ I beleive it to be correct)
Hogwash!! Hope you leaving soon.
This is what the RCIPS needs and must have:
RCIPS needs more trained and qualified Caymanian cops and less know it all, am from a big city, selfrighteous, uneducated, unfriendly, trigger happy, uncouth, untrained expats who are handed jobs BECAUSE of their nationality……
(apologies in advance for generalaties of this statement but in ‘in general’ I beleive it to be correc
"…more trained and qualified Caymanian cops …"
So how many of those do you have sitting around waiting for positions on the RCIPS? Seriously. I’m not agreeing with that other guy about Caymanians generally, but if you don’t have any there’s no point in calling for them to be hired. Makes as much sense as waiting for the tooth fairy.
There are caymanians that would want to join the RCIPS. I think of one young Caymanian who was impeccable and his convictions and determination to wanting to join the service was crushed by something very frivolous. That young man was working fulltime and gave up his spare time to work the special constabulatory (for free), so he could gain insight, training and do the learning curve. Like I said, his dream ended with a very bad taste in his mouth for the service.
Caymanians, are aware where they are well received and will shun from those areas where they know, they are looked on negatively from go. The RCIPS command, except when we had the one Caymanian commissioner, has been indifferent to establishing a strong CAYMANIAN force. We have heard all the reasons in the world: Close family ties, force should represent the populace etc etc. I think all those reasons are baseless and rubbish. In fact, having such frivolous reasons is an insult to us. As if we do not know better.
There are many things at play here and time don’t permit me to adequately address. The bottomline is: NO one, will love, respect, own, cherish, promote, aide, care for and yes POLICE the Cayman Islands like a Caymanian. We know the place, its our culture and we stand to loose when it all goes wrong. Right now our young people in the upper teen to early twenty age bracket, thinks the police is out to get them. They shun and see the force, not as protectors but troublemakers. Whether it is foulish for them to do this or not is not the point…the fact is they do right now (many of them I should say).
maybe we could hire East End Labor to police the island.
That was wrong of you to say such a thing we do have educated Caymanians it is only because the government realised that there are some jobs that Caymanians should hold and not expats. All you expats thinks is that we Caymanians should never have good jobs, it just goes to show that you are the uneducated one they don’t and never did give Caymanians jobs because of where they came form.
To be honest with you they have always been last to get a good job Caymanians are the hardest person to get a jobs here don’t be hating because you are on roll over.
We don’t need no expat qualified cops in cayman. We have qualified Caymanians that can do the work just as good as the expats or even better! Its QUALIFIED EXPATS LIKE YOU ALL that make the system sooo CORRUPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a Caymanian brother that TRIED TO BE GOOD in this place but because of "qualified expats" or so you call cops every thing that was done any crime he was always searched…. So get a grip and come off my island!
Blah blah blah
Whose in charge of the RCIPS and it’s respective departments?? Is is not certain expats who claim to know it all.
Then I say, take responsibility those of you who is suppose to be running things. Of course, the poor little Sergeant or Inspector who is pulling the hairs from out of their heads in dealing with the systems, policies and procedures that got the RCIPS in the mess that’s it’s now in, will of course be blamed and his/her A$$ will then be dragged over the coals for this screw up.
You won’t hear these words mentioned in the press by certain individuals, "I take full responsibily for this screw/mess up and the buck stops with me". All you will hear is that we are sorry and an investigation will be conducted. Bla bla bla bla !!!
Please do not turn such an important topic into expat vs local issue. You are deviating from the issues at hand, dishonesty and corruption. What you are doing is UNFAIR to the victim (and family) of this crime.
Shame on the RCIP. You want us to trust you, you want us to give you information and you keep these kind of things a hush hush. Who ever is behind this needs to be fired, and now, no questions ask, get rid of them now, if you want my trust and my information.
It’s funny how they’re "willing" to admit their guilt in hopes of gaining a few points in the public eye…but yet none of these equiries/investigations as to why their work was so incompetent is ever fulfilled…
RCIPS needs PROPER training…cuz they’re obviously only taking the job for means of income…who are we to call if we need help now that Cayman has lost all faith in our police force?
They know who’s SHOULD be put behind bars in majority of cases but it’s always the same story…the criminal is someone’s son or cousin or brother or how ever that family line should go..and of course the little evidence that they do collect goes "missing"
Unne ga do better…
My condolences to this man’s family…
It seems to always be the excuse that it would be inappropiate to discuss the case. The only 2 questions that I have for the RCIP are:
1- Who made the decision to keep this hit and run accident from the press?
2-Why was this decision made or in other words what was the reason this accident was kept secret?
This is very worrying at best. The Police are incompetent at combating real criminal actions that include violence, drugs, rape, burglary etc., BUT were really great at being Traffic Police aka meter maids. Tickets were always issued, crashes and things of the like were investigated properly. At least at night I could sleep knowing that the roads (and nothing else) was safe.
Seriously, how many green Honda Sabres are there on Cayman? Can the Police not inspect each car to determine which one is missing a mirror?
I have to agree that the Police know who "dun it" but don’t want to take it any further!
Sounds to me like they already knew who it was that ran into and finally killed the poor man but had their reasons for not "investigating". But don’t worry. No one that knows that will tell.
Its quite a dilemma. If its a cover up, its because x driver (or connections) told the police not to investigate. Therefore, the police know who x driver is. Based on related comments, in the prior article, many seem to know who x driver is. Other posts calling the public cowards for not naming x driver seems incredibly unfair given that innocent joe public can’t really give the name of an alleged criminal to the authorities who are also allegedly acting criminally by knowingly protecting x driver. If joe public calls the police, in such a case, joe public becomes a target. Therefore, we are reliant on either the driver, or the police, to come clean.
The only recourse either party has now, to make some amends, is to come clean FAST. If this drags on, joe public, will lose more faith in the persons that are supposedly here to protect us.
The truth is, it is only because of the new found media (CNS) that such things are coming to light. Only a free press can fight corruption.
My condolences to victim’s family.
and they do know. like many have suggested above, there is a tonne of stuff that happens here and the cops (and everybody else) knows whodunnit, but everybody looks the other way.
this is among the worst kind of corruption and it is so rampant in cayman it would truly concern normal people if they knew they level of it.
i speak with first hand knowledge on this subject.