Cops tackle w/end crime spike
(CNS): The police had their hands full throughout the weekend with more robberies as well as arrests of suspected robbers. Between Thursday and Sunday there were three armed robberies and an attempted armed robbery, in which the gunman left empty handed. The police arrested a man suspected of robbing Three N’s grocery store on Saturday night and formally charged the two men who were arrested in the wake of Monday’s Tortuga Robbery on Friday afternoon. However, the cops are still hunting for the two armed men who robbed the Countryside Pizza Hut on Friday night and the two robbers of the DVD Store on Walker’s Road Thursday evening, one of whom pistol whipped the cashier. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
The weekend crime spike comes at a time when, despite significant arrests by the police, robberies of small businesses continue to soar. The crimes are taking place day and night across a number of districts on Grand Cayman and in most cases the perpetrators are escaping with only small amounts of cash. Saturday’s grocery store robbery was the 17th robbery of 2011, making an average rate of one incident every 3.2 days.
Last week started with a robbery in the middle of the afternoon when two men entered the Tortuga Rum shop by the Cracked Conch restaurant around 2:30pm, on a busy cruise ship day in West Bay’s tourist hub. The men threatened staff before fleeing with cash but no one was hurt and no shots were fired. The men were reportedly spotted leaving the crime scene in a green Hyundai motor car, which police stopped shortly after the robbery on Easterly Tibbetts Highway and three men were arrested. Two men, aged 22 and 33, are expected in court this morning (Monday).
On Thursday evening at around nine o’clock two masked men entered the DVD Store on Walkers Road, one of whom was armed with what appeared to be a gun. The robbers threatened the store clerk and demanded cash. Despite receiving money, one of the robbers hit the cashier before leaving the store with the gun but no shots were fired and the cashier did not require any medical attention. The suspects are described as both being around 5’5" in height. They were wearing dark clothing and had their faces covered and so far have not been apprehended.
On Friday afternoon a man wearing a t-shirt around his face attempted to rob a small landscape business in George Town. At around 2:45 pm he entered Qualscape Ltd, in the DMS Building on Eastern Avenue, threatened a female member of staff and demanded cash. According to a police spokesperson, the woman hid under a desk before managing to run from the building. The suspect then threatened other staff members without success. After failing to get any cash, the would-be robber fled empty handed into nearby bushes. The suspect was described as being around 6’3" in height, slim build, and dark brown complexion, wearing a white shirt and blue pants.
At about 9:15pm on Friday night two suspects entered Pizza Hut, one armed with what is believed to be a gun and the other with a machete. Police said the robbers threatened staff with the weapons and demanded cash before making off with the money towards the rear of the building. Described as having white masks covering their faces, the first robber was said to be about 5’4" in height, skinny build, wearing a dark long sleeved top and grey pant suit and his accomplice about 5’7" in height, medium build, wearing a long sleeved top and grey pants.
Then on Saturday evening a lone gunman entered Three N’s grocery store in Batabano Plaza, West Bay, at about 8pm. According to the report, a man wearing a mask threatened staff and demanded cash. The suspect made off with what was described as a “small sum of money” but no shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident. A short time later, following a police operation in the West Bay area, a man was arrested on suspicion of robbery. Police said that he remains in custody.
Police have also confirmed that two jewel thieves that may have arrived by cruise ship walked away with expensive jewellery from a downtown store in George Town last week. “We received a report late Monday morning that two men, suspected to be tourists, had stolen a high value bracelet and necklace from Effy in Fort Street,” a police spokesperson said. Enquiries being made with cruise lines and hotels in the area but as yet no arrests have been made.
Anyone who has any information which could assist any of the enquiries is asked to call West Bay police station on 949-3999, Bodden Town on 947-2220, George Town on 949-4222 or the confidential Crime Stoppers tip-line 800-8477 (TIPS).
Category: Headline News
may be its time that a notice to all ROBBERS be sent out by crime stoppers. PLEASE lets us educate you FYI
(1) all tourist related establishments take in minimal cash as credit cards and debit cards are the norm.
(2) any establishment that deals in lots of cash use a drop safe and no one on premises has a key. minimal cash kept in the registers
(3) robberies at night all establishments now have alarms with quick response teams along with surveillance cameras.
(4) most establishments have uniformed or plain close security guards
so why waste time and risk of going to jail instead enjoy fishing farming or a steady job no matter what it is as long as its a honest living.
the jails are too nice – a/c, gym membership, cable tv, fab food and free schooling…
pay the broke ass jamaican government 20k per year and send the thugs to jamaica… it cost cayman 80k per year to maintain them
its too nice in cayman jails…!!!!
some of the kids get a higher quality of life in jail
18:46 I agree with you, why are they keeping these prisoners here, send them some where else, Guatamala, Cuba, Trinidad or anywhere they can be given hard labour. I agree with you, and Franz Manderson is not tough enough for that position, besides the director of prison LOL Design on a dime. We need a man to run that prison. Enough said.
N o b o d y w a n t s y o u r p r i s o n e r s, n o t e v e n i f y o u p a y t h e m.
Tell me where the broke ass Cayman government is going to get the money to pay the broke ass Jamaican government.
Keep up the excellent work RCIPS. We should be very proud of the hard working men and women of the RCIPS – while we continue to criticize them they continue to work hard for us.
Oh please, so maybe they are making a few arrests, lets see if the charges actually stick. But some of these arrests are no brainers!!!
Hardworking, no they just need to do what they are being made for, then maybe we wouldn’t be in the mess that we are in now.
What happens to the criminals when they enter the court after the RCIP have arrested them is out of the polices control. RCIP are not Crown Consel nor are they Judges – these are the people that are responsible for putting the criminals in prison.
I’m post alonger comment, but I’m short on time as I need to go buy a Bazooka to protect my family.
Do they sell those at Reflections?
How about instead of sending these little sh*theads to the Northward Hilton they instead be made to wear red jumpsuits with I am a no-good thief written on the back.
16:46 I hear you, but dont you think they would be suited better on “Project Runaway”
What has to happen in Grand Cayman before the governor steps up, acts like a governor, and GOVERNS. Does an innocent person need to be shot?.. a child injured in a getaway?.. What has to happen in Cayman before those elected to lead, take their jobs seriously and do SOMETHING???? The reason we pay tax (import/fuel duty and work permit fees are A TAX) is to pay for a government to provide basic services, law and order. The police are outgunned or poorly managed. Let’s help them, or help them to the door and get better people.. or both. I know of a family who is leaving here due to concern about the increase in crime. I am sure there are foreigners rethinking a move here for concern of the increase in crime. We need to fix Cayman while she is fixable. This present spiral is future poison to our economy and way of life and no oil refinery or hospital will fix it.
Not to rub salt into the wounds here but, an innocent person HAS been shot (Next Level nightclub) during the murder of another and a child HAS been killed (Jeremiah Barnes). So what were you waiting on to happen now?
We are almost there,third world banana republic. For all who live here lets hope the police follow up their arrests with some convictions and don’t go back to their old style of catch and release. One can always hope.
Nice, now we even getting cruise visitors coming and getting a piece of the pie!
That jewellery Heist is a strange one. How in the world no one saw them opening the safe, Now I am going to be very frank in speaking the truth. If they were black, dear me all eyes would have been on them. Think I am not telling the truth, go into anyof them jewellery stores down town and you are black, and see howyou are watched and folliowed around. But sometimes we have to learn the hard way for some of the things we do. Lets see if they will be caught.