Top cop to face grilling from business community
(CNS): At a time when many in the business community feel that Cayman’s most pressing problem is the rise in violent crime and in particular armed robberies and burglaries of local businesses the police commissioner will be the Chamber of Commerce’s presenter at the next be informed series. David Baines will be taking questions from the audience against a back drop of rising crime that is targeting the commercial sector. Well aware of the concerns of members the chamber said it had invited the islands’ most senior police officer to talk about the crime reduction strategies in place as well as any progress on recent crimes that the RCIPS have made.
With five armed robberies taking place in the first two weeks of the New Year at local business Baines can expect a grilling from the audience.
“Escalating crime has become a reality that we must all face, but that does not mean we have to accept it,” said the Chamber President James O’Neill. “It is deeply concerning to the Chamber that so many of our small businesses are being targeted in this way, in what are already trying times for most. We are a small community; it is within our means and ability to rid ourselves of these types of crimes if we pull together. “
The new chamber boss said that people had to stand firm to protect the country and the community had to support the police.
“The RCIPS must be held accountable but they can only do so much,” he stated. “Without the support of the community it is a much harder proposition to apprehend these criminals. The Chamber continues to encourage our members and the wider community to come forward as witnesses or use the anonymous tip line from CrimeStoppers,” he added as he encouraged members to come along.
This BE INFORMED presentation will be held at the Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Centre at Governors Square next Wednesday, at 3pm. Following the same format as previous BE INFORMED presentations the Commissioner will make his remarks and then the floor will be opened for questions allowing Chamber members to get answers from both the commissioner and other RCIPS staff.
Already a popular series this particular presentation series this is expected to attract a full house and the chamber is asking members to register early to reserve a seat at www.caymanchamber.ky
Category: Local News
The Commissioner is doing the best with what he has to work with. He has been forward with the problems he has and he has addressed them (back to school). He is weeding out corruption in the force. We have to accept some of the blame,these criminals are home grown. We had our home grown commissioner(didn’t work too well or too long). Haines is history in the RCIPS,whatever the reason. Why live in the past lets start thinking about the future. If any of you former police officers think you have something you can contribute to society and the force why don’t you see if you can get your old jobs back. And anyone who knows one of those stickup artists turn them in. Cayman has changed we all have to change with it. Lets try and make it for the better.
Alot of the problems we are having now does fall on the parents, who allow their children to run rampant. I don’t want to hear about single parents have it hard. There are plenty of single parents who have raised their children to be respectable citizens.
Letting your 10, 12, 13 year old out at night and not know where they are going you are looking for trouble. Being stupid when your child tells you he or she is going to so and so house, and you never contact the parents to confirm this, that is your own fault. Bring your child to where they have to go and pick them back up. Make sure there is an adult home (not gangsta brother), a responsible adult before you leave your child.
The girls are as bad, they run off with these low life thugs, who become baby daddy to numerous girls and they think it is cool. Funny alot of these girls come from good families………
Good on the commissioner for fronting up in this way.
Stop blaming top cops for all the violent that are happen and blame the Government and the Business Community for all the Cheap Labors that they are importing to this Island so Caymanians can not work and live in there only country, but listen it is only two year to go before the next Election so lets plan to clean the L.A. out I mean out.
09:36, it is the most sensible thing I have read for a long time. Clean that LA out. 95% of them is only dragging their feet and full of beauracracy exceses..
Stop blaming foreigners for the problems here in Cayman. Yes there is cheap labour being brought in, but lets face it Caymanians don’t want to do housekeeping, security, restaurants, etc. The list is endless. Caymanians (not all, but the ones who have NO SKILLS) expect to be paid high salaries and to get top positions.
Go to the Employement Relations Office and see the class of people coming in. Men wearing pants 2 sizes to big with their underwears sticking out, earrings in their ears, corn rows done…come on who on earth will hire something like that??? The woman aren’t any better, half of them are way to big for their own good and wearing clothes that are 2 times to small.
Give me a break. Caymanians sold out so put the blame where it belongs. Take example, seven mile beach, land was owned by Caymanians, but they were offered a good price for the land and sold it, now they are complaining. This is like everything else.
By the way, bet you can’t answer this one. You keep blaming foreigners, you keep complaining about foreigners being in high positions. What about the the Caymanian Commissioner we had? He left his position with barely no notice. To this date no one knows what happened. And this was a full blooded Caymanian. Was he getting paid cheap labour too????
No one is blaming foreigners for the problem here, we are blaming Government and business community for not putting a minimum wages in place, but I don’t now how you got a job in Cayman just by reading your comment tell me your skills.
If only there was a competency test to take before you can qualify to vote Cayman would be in less of a mess then it is and will be. Unfortunatly it is the same test as is needed to get a job for the Government and run for office.
I plead with the Chamber to put pressure on Mr. Baines to start hiring more qualified officers from the US totackle crime. We need to have CCTV cameras installed now and quit debating before tourist refuse to visit our shores. I think business owners should be able to protect their business if the police can’t. For an island of 50,000 how is it possible that there’s 5 armed robberies in a week. Mr. Baines blames the US my question is you’re being paid to protect the residents here so stand up and be a leader? The Chamber tries to make a proactive stance in looking after commerce in Cayman yet I’m wondering if the government and RCIP share the same view.
We have got to ask the US Coast Guard to set a base ( again) God knows why we got rid of them in 2001, Mac should answer this. We need them here to protect our borders as there’s human and drug smuggling occuring at an alarming rate. Residents are becoming scared to go out and are worried if they will become the next victim. The Governor has got to give Baines 6 months to get this mess sorted out as the crimminals are running the streets and don’t fear the Police. We have to use strong arm tactics against these punks and by all means necessary make their lives miserable.
God bless Cayman.
The Commissioner of Police should be someone who would do everything he can to protect life and property. We all know that crime, at times, is uncontrollable; it takes a community effort. However, is this CoP doing all that he should do to fight crime in the Cayman Islands? I am reminded of the philosophy he loves to sing – "if you arm the Police, the criminals will do likewise," falls short of the expect carrying out of Justice! All options should be on the table, and the CoP should never be intimidated to use them.
The Commissioner of Police needs to be a man who is not only compassion and shows discretion, but a soldier of the local community who shows courage as well.
I hope the business community ask him some hard questions; he should be able to answer them; especially, questions like – Why do you see the local officers as illiterate? What are you doing to motivate them to fight crime? How do you see leadership? Personally, I wouldn’t like to be in his shoes, but hard questions need to be thrown at this CoP.
I would be very dissappointed to see "soft ball questions" placed to the CoP. Serious crime is becoming rampant, and he should be able to address them!
Having worked in Geneva for sometime, I can clarify that Switzerland does not require every citizen to be armed.
However most citizens are required to perform national service in the military at some stage, requiring each citizen to obtain a level of physical fitness and be proficient in shooting. Even when discharged from full time service in the military, they are kept on as reserves, and still required to pass a physical fitness test each year as well as a marksmanship tests, until they are in their forties. Also, as reservists, and liabile to be called up at any moment, most reservists are allowed to keep their military equipment at home, including their weapon. They are expected to train with it regularly on the range in order to pass the annual marksmanship tests.
The result ismany houses in Switzerland have at least one military-grade weapon stored there, and at least one person in the household trained and very capable of using it.
What is the result of all of these proliferation of weapons everywhere? A low crime rate, and virtually zero crime involving firearms. of course these facts don’t sit well with the British approach, but that is how it is in Switzerland.
The people of Switzerland are culturaly responsible type people. The people of Cayman not so much. Not too hard to see that if every citizen of Cayman was given a gun the amount of persons accidentaly shooting themselves would be huge not to mention the amount of people getting shot on purpose. Guns are not the problem.