Archive for May, 2011
Crime figures come down
(CNS):The latest statistics released by police reveal that the number of serious crimes has fallen by 113 in the first four months of the year when compared to 2010. The RCIPS said the figure translates to almost a 36percent reduction in serious offences although robberies have still increased by 125 percent. The increase in police operations where weapons have been seized also contributed to a 33 percent rise in cases of possession of unlicensed firearms. However, with no murders so far in 2011, a 90 percent reduction in attempted murder and significant falls in aggravated burglary and burglary, the country’s top cop said Cayman remained one of safest places in the region to live and work.
Overall crime, which includes volume crimes as well as serious crime fell just over 27 pecent resulting in 334 fewer crimes in the first four months of 2011, compared to the same period last year.
“In this four month period there have been hundreds fewer victims of crime than in the same period last year,” Police Commissioner David Baines. “A number of firearms have been seized in targeted operations during the past four months – that’s good news for our communities as it quite simply means that there are fewer guns available for criminal use.”
The commissioner also revealed that the reduction by more thanhalf in drugs arrests since the start of the year was a direct result of a change in tactics for the local police service which has switched from targeting users to targeting dealers. He explained that in an age where every government organisation has to work smarter and make best use of resources, the focus of the RCIPS had moved to those who ply their drugs on the streets instead of those who are consuming drugs, a change which the senior officer said had already shown results.
“Only yesterday and man and woman were arrested in the Bodden Town area as part of a targeted operation, “confirmed Baines. “ Officers seized a large quantity of cash, over 5lbs of Ganja and several items of drugs paraphernalia from their home.”
Baines acknowledged however, that while crime was falling in general, robberies were still on the rise and he raised concerns that victims were not always forthcoming as police believe some of the recent street robberies are connected to illegal gambling.
“In a handful of the street robberies reported the victims are being less than helpful, refusing to provide information or descriptions. We suspect that some of the crimes may be linked to ‘numbers’ and that’s why those involved may not want to assist us. When we have no witnesses and uncooperative victims it makes investigating and solving the crime extremely difficult,” Baines explained.
“However, in some cases witnesses are more than helpful; their bravery and tenacity is remarkable. The most recent example is that of the men who disarmed and detained two suspects following an attempted robbery at Grand Harbour earlier this week. Despite being threatened with a shotgun and pepper sprayed they were absolutely determined that they would hold onto the suspects for those few vital minutes until the police arrived.”
He added that the men were outstanding and he intended to formally recognise their actions.
With robberies still increasing the police continue to carry out targeted robbery patrols and operations and several arrests have been made since the beginning of the year with suspects already in court.
Baines also said that officers continue to work with business owners to make sure that they have the best crime prevention advice possible and that their security measures and cash handling procedures are sound.
The Quadruple Whammy of Fuel Taxes
The “pain at the pump” is being felt Island wide by all who live and visit here. This is the first “whammy” and the most obvious. To most of us, the excessively high cost of gasoline is a direct hit on our wallets. Mr Elio Solomon has recently said that he “feels” that the majority of people in Cayman accept the higher gas prices in order to support their country.
What Elio is missing is the fact that his way of thinking in economic terms will eventually destroy this country to the point where there is no country left to worry about. Here are three more ways that high gas prices hurt each of us and the country as a whole that Elio has overlooked.
The second “whammy” to our wallets comes in the form of opportunity losses to the economy. This means, the extra money spent on gas will not be spent elsewhere to help boost the economy. The third “whammy” comes in the form of higher prices at the local stores due to retailers having to pass their higher costs on to us.
So now we have less money to buy products that costs more than ever. The fourth “whammy” is to the country as a whole. We depend on the outside world, specifically visitors and investors, for our source of operating funds. If the costs here are too high due to government taxing necessities, then this discourages investment and motivation for people to come here and support our economy. Taxes are a blockage to productivity and growth. Taxes are the instruments of uneducated leaders who think taxing the working man will make things better. What matters here are percentages. A few cents more per gallon at the pump represents a much greater percentage of the low wage earner’s income than that of wealthier persons and businesses.
The impact to the small guy is tremendous. It is the spending power of the working class that drives the economy. It is obvious that our current elected officials believe wealth trickles down. If this is the case then they are taxing the wealth at the wrong end, after it trickles down. The time to tax it is at the source before the trickling occurs. By keeping the cost of living down to the little guy the money will trickle back up to the top as goods and services are purchased.
Making Cayman more affordable for residents and visitors is how to help and support this country. If Elio is suggesting that taxation is the only measure we have to increase the needed revenue for government to operate, then he is overlooking the expense side of the equation. Revenues should be increased first by cost cutting. I assure you that tourists and residents would gladly suffer a few potholes or less roundabouts on our roads than to have taxes placed on fuel that increase the overall cost of living here. Cut the fat from government and only then consider taxes that harm the spending power of our people.
Elio is also suggesting that people be allowed early access to their pensionmoney in order to purchase housing. If they can’t afford a house without ruining their pensions then they won’t be able to afford the maintenance of home ownership and will end up penniless when retirement comes, thus adding a greater burden to society down the road. By allowing people to spend their pensions, he is borrowing from the future at our expense in order to try to bail out the present mess caused by high taxes and fees.
Tourism and investment in Cayman is the goose that lays our golden eggs. Our government is spending money at a faster rate than the goose can lay these eggs. There is only one poison that can kill the goose and the poison is taxes. Less tax means more geese. Get it?
Scammers dupe at least one local law firm
(CNS):Not usually the most likely targets for internet fraudsters, police have revealed that scammers have already conned one local law firm and are targeting others in the Cayman Islands in an attempt to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars illegally. Detective Chief Inspector Claudia Brady is warning people, and in particular those in involved in the law profession, to be on the lookout for suspicious communication from people posing as overseas clients. “So far one law firm has fallen victim to the scam,” she said. “But we are aware that other firms are being targeted. That’s why people need to be extra vigilant.”
The financial cop explained that the fraudsters pose as potential overseas clients seeking the services of the Cayman based legal firms. “They say that they want the law firm to act on their behalf to collect a debt from someone living on island,” Brady revealed. “A short time after the law firm accepts the work the ‘debtor’ pays up – sending the law firm a high value US dollar check. It’s at that point the ‘client’ asks for the money to be transferred to their overseas account. When the ‘debtor’s’ check reaches the clearing bank it is found to be fraudulent and the law firm is hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket.”
Anyone who believes that they have been contacted by these scammers, or who has fallen victim to this crime, should contact the Financial Crime Unit on 9498797.
Kids wrestle with question of armed cops
(CNS): Students from Cayman Prep and Cayman Brac high schools went into verbal battle recently to fight for the title of the 20th Annual Fred Speirs Inter-School Debates Championship. The two teams argued over the moot: “Unarmed police officers are poorly equipped to deal with today’s escalating violent crime" moved by the team from Cayman Prep. Cayman Brac, who opposed it, eventually won the day. The judges complemented both teams for their efforts in what was described as a lively debate.
The judging criteria included consideration for depth of thought, proof of research, fluency and tone, body language, eye contact, persuasion, confidence, and enthusiasm. Rotary Sunrise Past President Woody Foster said, " The debate was very lively and well fought by both teams. The judges were very complimentary of the teams and were positive on the level of research and delivery from both schools."
This verbal finale took place at 6:30pm on 14 April in the Courts Office, sponsored by British Caymanian Insurance and co-hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Grand Cayman Central and Sunrise. The judges were Franz Manderson (Honorary Rotarian and Chief Officer for the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs), Annie Briggs (Literacy Coordinator from Ministry of Education), and by Graeme Halkerston (Partner in Litigation and Insolvency at Appleby’s).
The Inter-School Debates have been named for the late Frederick John Speirs, Past President of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Central, who first organized the competition and who spent 30 years educating the youth of the Cayman Islands.
Cataract: What you should know
(LIONS):You may have heard of cataracts. They are the commonest cause of treatable blindness in the world. The word literally means ‘waterfall’ as in ‘the cataracts of the Nile’ but now is used to describe any cloudiness of the natural lens of the eye. The natural lens is about the size and shape of a shirt button and it is inside the eyeball, behind the coloured iris, just past the pupil, held insidea clear envelope or capsule. In children and young adults the natural lens is normally clear, transparent and liquid. It has the highest protein content of any tissue in the human body. It is designed to transmit and focus light to the back of the eye, at the fovea of the retina, much as a camera lens focuses light on to the film at the back of the camera.
The lens can become cloudy for many different reasons, for example, infections during development in the uterus, so that babies may even be born with cataract. Any trauma to the eye, such as a blow or punch, can lead to cataract formation. Sometimes a chronic inflammation of the eye, often seen as part of a generalised disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, can lead to cataract formation.
Most cataracts occur in older people, usually with symptoms of blurred vision and debilitating glare (especially at night). People with diabetes tend to develop cataracts about 10 years earlier than non-diabetics. Interestingly, some people with cataracts regain their near vision and take pride in being able to thread a needle or read without glasses but they are often not be able to recognise someone’s face across the road.
There is not much we can do to prevent cataract formation except to give up smoking. Cigarette smoke has been shown to cause cataracts. Surgical treatment for cataracts is available here in the Cayman Islands. Surgery to remove the old cloudy lens and replace it with a new plastic lens allows the vast majority of people to enjoy good vision again. Naturally there are risks, as with any surgery. But the benefits to be enjoyed are often worth it. Ask around and you might be surprised how many people have had this surgery and they will tell you how much it has improved their quality of life.
This article is one of a series regarding eye health in order to mark the Lions white Cane Week
Tracked tigershark zig-zags across Caribbean
(CNS): Tina the Tiger shark who left Grand Cayman in January carrying a special tag is currently swimming around the western Caribbean according to the tracking satellite. Tina is part of a scientific project aimed at addressing the seriously decreasing numbers of sharks globally as a result of their key role in healthy marine ecosystems. A collaborative project between the Department of Environment (DoE), Marine Conservation International (MCI), the Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) at Nova Southeastern University and the Save Our Seas Foundation the team is working to better understand sharks in the Cayman Islands region with the goal of improving conservation management .
Tina is helping us to understand how sharks behave and her latest movements have been very interesting, officials revealed this week. Having been tagged in mid December off Grand Cayman, she left for southern Cuba in February and then in late March headed for Honduras, arriving in early April. She didn’t remain there long before she headed north and east, passing Grand Cayman for Jamaica and on south and then began to move north again.
“Tina has made a significant contribution to our understanding of large shark behaviour and their relationship with our seas,” Tim Austin, Deputy Director of the DoE, said.
Tina is not alone in the project as the team are also tracking Luiza, a second tiger shark who remains close to home off Grand Cayman. Dr. Mauvis Gore Luiza said the contrast between the two is very interesting.
The team is working with fishermen and divers whose expertise and observations are important to the project. Any sightings of shark, whale or dolphin helps and can be reported to the DoE at DOE@GOV.KY or on 949-8469.
Officials hold dummy run for hurricane season
(CNS): Government officials are in the midst of a hurricane today as a number of agencies practice preparations for the season which starts in less than four weeks. It’s 5 June and Hurricane Stretch is supposedly about 460 miles south east of Grand Cayman and heading for us at around 6 mph with maximum sustain winds of 109 mph making it a strong Category 2 hurricane. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for the Cayman Islands andthe officials as expecting further strengthening. Hurricane flags have been hoisted at government buildings and police stations for the purposes of the national hurricane exercise.
The most recent forecasts for the 2011 season point to more hurricanes in the Caribbean area compared to last season when most of the storms remained in the Atlantic. Currently experts say there is likely to be at least five hurricanes in our region three of which will be intense. The overall prediction for the six month season is for around fifteen named storms, eight of which will be hurricanes.
More unemployed youngsters pass through training
(CNS): Another group of young people have passed through the government’s employment programme Passport2Success. Twenty one students recently graduated from the third session which government hopes will make young people more employable. The programme is not a job creation scheme but a course designed to teach high school leavers how to get and then keep a job by teaching resume writing, interview skills, conflict avoidance, as well as how to dress and act in a work environment. Education Minister, Rolston Anglin, said the key objective of the programme is to provide a “seamless bridgesto success,” as he delivered an address at the commencement ceremony.
“Young people need to be prepared not only to take advantage of opportunities when they arise, but also to make positive contributions to any organisation they join,” he added. Reminded participants that skills had to be accompanied by the right approach, he added:. “You have greater potential for long-term success if you mix the skills you’ve just gained with the right attitude. The one thing you have 100 percent control over is yourself… your outlook, your attitude, and the way you interact with others. This will have the greatest impact on whether or not you succeed.”
Participant Cindy Hydes said that the programme was a great experience. “Some folks don’t know how to write a résumé, speak in public or work in groups and this programme teaches you all of that,” she explained. “When I started I was really shy and reserved and had no idea what I was doing. But the programme gave me confidence and made me step out of my comfort zone. I also learned patience and how to keep my cool. It taught me how to improve myself in lots of ways.”
Andy Vernon, who believes he’s now better equipped to present himself to others, said he definitely encourages his peers to try the programme. He said young Caymanians needed to step up make use of the opportunity provided by government and stop complaining. “We’re now on a global platform, competing against persons from near and far and we need to be ready for that.”
Eight participants were specially recognised for their growth and dedication throughout the 12-week programme. Denry Howell was judged the most outstanding participant, while Cindy Hydes and Darin Conolly took Leader in the Making awards.
Alejandro Calidonio and Geanna Bodden received Commitment to Growth awards, while Kizzie Codlyn was deemed the Most Improved Participant, and Alexander Smiley and Tatiana Hodgson earned Rising Star awards.
A free public-private-funded initiative, Passport2Success targets young Caymanians aged 17 – 20 years, who are recent high school graduates and who have not yet found suitable employment. It is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Training & Employment; the Butterfield Group; CML Offshore Recruitment and LIME.
The fourth programme in the series started on 2 May. For more details, visit www.Passport2Success.ky, email The Wellness Centre on info@wellnesscentre.ky or call Shannon Seymour on 949-9355.
Child month celebrates kids’ talents
(CNS): During this year’s child month celebrations officials say they are focusing on children’s talents and achievements and pointing parents in the right direction when it comes to support agencies. The schedule of activities will include an art trek, 5k walk/run, a parent information seminar and a youth talent expo in order to sow off what local kids can do. For the entire month of May the Department of Children and Family services will be hosting and supporting events that tie in with the 2011 theme which it has called Hands across Time ; encouraging parents and adults to participate in meaningful fun activities with children, and acknowledging children’s achievements in education, sports and more.
On Tuesday, 3 May the introduction of a new feature, Celebrity Reading Day, during which local ‘celebrities’ visited pre-schools and child-care centres to read with children and donate books to their libraries. Not necessarily the kind of celebrities the children would necessarily recognise but the governor and the speaker from the LA, did their part when they joined Cayman27’s Donna Bush; YCLA recipient Collin Anglin; Miss Teen Cayman Leanne Ritch; and Miss Cayman Cristin Alexander to read from books donated by Mary Adam of Hobbies and Books
For a copy of May’s Child Month activity schedule, visit www.gis.ky or call Laurel Fraser on 938-1866.
People need gas duty cut
(CNS): Despite government claims that it is not in a position to cut last year’s fuel duty increase in the forthcoming budget, the member for North Side says it can if it looks at alternative revenue measures. Ezzard Miller says the country needs the cut and he is calling for government to reduce gas duty by 50 cents and instead introduce two new revenue measures that will have a lesser impact, not only on the man in the street but local businesses as well. The independent MLA is asking the UDP government to considering introducing a graded vehicle licensing schedule, which he suggested last year, and to impose a two cent tax on the four cent fee charged by local retail banks on Cayman to US dollar exchanges.
The outspoken North Side representative also claimed that if government had introduced his graded licensing system last year instead of putting duty on gas, which has served only to contract the local economy, the government would have collected more revenue and done less harm.
In addition, Miller said, the concept of a graded increase in vehicle licensing would help to reward those who are driving cars with lower emissions while penalising drivers of high-end or gas guzzling vehicles.
“The budget should be seen as an opportunity by government to improve its policy position,” he said. Assuming government actually had an energy policy, one of its goals would be to reduce fuel consumption, he supposed, and taxing people according to the size of the car they drive is fairer and makes more sense.
“We need to restructure the licensing so it’s cheaper for the smallest cars and more expensive for larger SUVs,” Miller stated. He said the licensing is a one off payment, making it easier for people to prepare for and offers considerably more choice that the gas duty. He pointed out that the fuel increase affected everyone and everything, as was evident by the continuing contraction of the local economy over the last year.
Voicing his concerns for his own constituents, he pointed out that it was particularly hard for those residents in North Side who are commuting to George Town to work and who, with no reliable public transport system to turn to, have little choice but to suffer the gas hike.
His second revenue proposal could generate over $35 milllion for the treasury, according to advice Miller said he had received from the financial sector. The foreign exchange tax on retail banks’ profit from US-Cayman dollar exchanges was only a minor part of their profits. He added that he did not believe the high street banks should be in the business of making money on local foreign exchange in any event but he did not think the banks would find it so painful. He also said it would have very little detrimental impact on the wider financial sector or the consumer.
Miller also said he hoped that this year the country would see a genuine reduction in government’s operational expenses. Although government had claimed to cut public spending in the 2010/11 budget in reality it did in fact increase spending.
Since then several major government departments have been the subject of an internal review. So far the team has publically identified $17 million of savings at the prison, the tourism department, CINICO and public works. With another eight departments reportedly reviewed as well, although the results have not yet been made public, Miller said he expected to see real and substantial cuts in the operational budget.
“I think we should expect to see as much as $50 million in savings in the 2011/12 projections,” Miller said, adding that government needed to use that money to reduce debt and not to spend it on more capital projects.