Anti-crime plan with Cabinet

| 03/02/2011

(CNS): The work of the country’s National Security Council over the last twelve months is about to be reviewed by Cabinet and will be made public soon, the governor promised on Wednesday. Duncan Taylor said that while there was no easy way to turn the clock back on crime, the council had come up with, and agreed, a national strategy on crime prevention. Admitting that it had taken the new council, formed under the 2009 Constitution, some time to get going, he said that the strategy represented a considerable amount of work. He also said that his office was examining how, given the nature of the NEC, more information about what it was doing could be revealed to the public.

Speaking at a press briefing marking the end of his first year in office, Governor Duncan Taylor revealed that the council had agreed the crime reduction strategy and said that although it was still early days for the council, it was beginning to play a useful role.

He said that the strategy had been arrived at after collaboration among all the ministries and looking at all the different programmes that existed in the Cayman Islands that contributed to a reduction in crime. He also said the council had examined previous reports, such as the comprehensive report on the pre-disposing factors to criminality by Yolande Forde published in 2005 (attached below), among others.

He said the crime reduction strategy was a comprehensive and substantive piece of work but he was aware that people were wondering what the council had been doing over the last twelve months. Not least because of the need to keep the details of the discussions confidential, information was not getting out about the council’s work. However, consideration was being given to getting more information about the work of the NEC out to the public, the governor revealed.

“I recognise that we need to find a way of giving more information about what it is we are discussing and where we are going, and what we are going to do next after the crime prevention strategy,” he said. “What’s the mechanism for taking that from being a piece of advice from the NEC to government actually taking it forward.”

He said that tackling crime was still an ongoing issue and that he had confidence in the work of the RCIPS and the commissioner. He pointed to a programme targeting youth in primary schools that had been identified as being at risk and making intervention with those children and their families.

The governor cited the imminent introduction of CCTV as another positive move towards addressing the rising crime in the community. While not a cure all, it was another element to help. He said the police were still going through a rebuilding process to fill key vacancies

He also pointed to the many legislative changes that have been enacted to make bringing prosecutions easier and said their impact on crime would be revealed over the coming months. “The next few months will be interesting as they reveal how those bills will work in practice,” he said, adding that there were many things going on that were designed to address crime.

However, the governor warned that with the recession still biting, people were still out of work and there was plenty of evidence that in a global downturn people turn to crime and that it was also important to get the economy going again to help address the problem of crime.

He pointed out that while there were still problems, the unprecedented situation when he arrived with some five shootings over a period of around 8 weeks had been addressed and the police had made serious headway in solving those cases.

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  1. ready to go to work says:

    I agree that anti-crime should be first directed at the Highest level because any one paying attention to the situation is that there is collaboration of corruption in some Hight post. Some believe themselves above the Law and only you Mr. Governor seems to be able to do somefing about it .At least When you speak Everybody listen and you can get the ball rolling just don’t let them sweet talk you that all is well.

  2. Lachlan MacTavish says:

     I applaud the plan. It is action, it is a plan and least someone is recognizing the astonishing and ridiculous crime situation in Cayman. West Bay has the worst crime in The Cayman Islands and I see no reaction from any West Bay MLA. 

  3. Anonymous says:

    People you should take the time to read the report attached to the article.

    It is very enlightening for those of us that do not realise just how systemic and pervasive criminality is in the more depraved parts of Cayman society.

    It also shows just how apallingly inadequate the criminal justice system and the education system here are.

    If the strategy addressesthe issues raised in the report then it is a good thing.

    You do still have to wonder why it’s taken 5 years for a reaction to the report to reach the discussion paper stage.

  4. Anonymous says:

    While we plan, bullets fly……….lets plugging the small social holes with social obedience.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Governor,

    Your plan to fight crime needs to start with replacing Baines as commissioner. He is  proven to be incompetent. If he was competent, you as a governor would have no need to be involved now, he would have had the crime strategy in place and itwould be working against the criminals. To date they are benefiting! Its working out really good for the lawless ones!

    Public you be the judge.

  6. Anonymous says:

     

    Shakeup the Police force., This time DO NOT TARGET OUR CAYMANIAN POLICE.  they are not the problem when our own Caymanian cops wee in charge including Derek Haines Crime was almost unheard of.

    Change the Head or RCIP, if the head is sick so is the whole Body.

  7. Frank says:

    Does this strategy also involve bringing down a specialist ‘undercover’ officer and putting his picture in the newspaper to welcome him again?? This was possibly the smartest move the National Security Council has ever made!

    • Son of Thunder says:

      This headline is a little misleading because there should be an anti-crime plan FOR cabinet not WITH cabinet.

  8. Anonymous says:

    I suppose this is good news that at least someone is thinking about a strategy for reducing crime.

    But on the other hand the committee was formed in 2009 and it’s now 2011. During that time there has been a crime tsunami. The NSC has failed to do anything (or even try anything) to stop it and the only thing they’ve produced is paperwork.

    I do hope they “cc” the criminals on the strategy paper so they know what they’re meant to do.

    • Pending says:

      So the NSC has been working on a plan for 12mths, all the while serious crime is rampant almost on a daily basis now, meanwhile the police have been going to primary schools to talk to troubled youths and doing nothing to curb the serious crimes taking place.

      SO WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PLAN DOESNT WORK???????????????

      ANOTHER 12MTHS TO FIGURE OUT ANOTHER COURSE OF ACTION?

      I am sick of having a proper job, I either need to get on some of these councils which do f*** all and make buckets of cash or join the  crime wave and committ armed robberies, home invasions and murders, which also clearly pays with absolutely no rerprecussions.

      ALL TALK NO ACTION needs to be the motto of Government, Police, Prosecution, Council members, Immigration, and on and on and on.