Crime falls by almost 6%
(CNS): With a 35% drop in robberies, no gang shootings or any other killings so far this year and a 3.6% drop in burglaries for the first part of 2012, the police can claim that crime is finally falling. Overall, the police reported a 5.98% drop in the most serious crimes and an overall fall in crime by over 13.4% when compared to crime reported in the first six months of 2011. The latest crime figures released by the RCIPS show that most of the crimes that undermine the community confidence, such as robbery and burglary, have fallen and with no murders since last September, the police are finally managing to curb what the public felt was a runaway crime wave.
Despite the improvements in serious crime statistics, the police said that they were not being complacent and were continuing to exercise strategies to keep on top of the criminally minded.
"The drop in crime is certainly welcome news," said Chief Superintendent Kurt Walton. “However, this is no time to be complacent. In fact, we are constantly challenging ourselves about how we approach combating criminality in the Cayman Islands. We are well aware that Grand Cayman can be 'deceptively quiet' and as such we cannot afford to allow complacency to set in,” he added.
Walton talked about the steps that have been taken by the RCIPS to become more visible to the public and to improve training. Although, like every other government department, the police are having to manage on a reduced budget, the senior cop said the focus had been on the crimes that concern the community most, such as the armed robberies and murders.
“We have looked at the critical areas across the organization and focused on becoming better and built on this through various training initiatives We have placed investigative and operational emphasis on those crimes that have had the most significant impact on the Cayman Islands and tackled them with focused and targeted operations, thus resulting in a dramatic reduction in serious crimes, such as robberies and murders,” Walton added.
The last murder victim in Cayman was Asher McGraw, who was shot and killed by his friend in East End last September. Chakane Jamelle "CJ" Scott (19) was found guilty of the killing after a judge alone trial in June last year.
The last armed robbery was at the Buckingham Square Branch of Cayman National Bank at the end of June, but since then a number of robbery suspects have been rounded up and charged by police for various armed heists with trials now set for next year. With a bulging prison and a clogged up Grand Court calendar, the police have made someserious strides in bringing some of those they believe are behind most of the crime and problems with guns into the criminaljustice system.
Walton noted the importance that the community plays in assisting the police with tackling crime and rounding up those they believe are behind the criminality. “We recognize and appreciate the support shown to us from the entire Cayman community in assisting us to keep the Cayman Islands safe and to maintain the tranquillity and peacefulness these Islands are known for,” he added.
See crime statistics below.
Category: Crime
Magic numbers for Baines? I NEED to be assured that every single break-in is documented.
Is there truth that the RCIP has not taken a report of a Saturday afternoon incident? I WANT phone logs recorded!
If it is not written down it did not happen. Baines can say his Detectives did not get the tip or incident report, you must START at the front lines…..I want every single name of person calling into the RCIP recorded WHEN they CALL-
I have been transferred to three departments when I tried to report gang activity……no one has called me back!!! Does this now mean that gang related activilty is down?
Come on, even the simplest of folks are seeing you manipulate the figures- did you LEARN that from Big Mac?
Next time I call in, (this morning thanks for reminding me) about new Gang Tags in a high density condo complex that for over 15 years never saw a gang tag, YOU WILL RETURN MY CALL, MAKE THE BLOODY REPORT, AND RECORD THAT STATISTIC!
"Cooking the books" with the stats I say……
…and right below this story, the next one reads:
"Armed home intruder on run"
Oh the irony!!!
"Almost 6%"?
I would feel a whole lot better is the number was actually significant, say on the order of 30 to 40 percent.
All of you negative people should find a safer place to live . since the crime is so bad here in cayman.
I did and it was a wonderful decision.
…for us all.
it appears unlike you some people would rather improve the lawlessness in Cayman, instead of giving up and moving from their home.
Maybe you should be a part of the solution and not the problem.
Are you suggesting that a certain number of murders per year is acceptable to you? Please enlighten us: How many would be okay with you?
Really, this kind of reasoning is so flawed it is pointless even to write it down.
So does this vindicate the RCIPS somewhat & what Baines was saying for a long time about it being a few criminals behind all the armed robberies? Maybe. Good result however it happened & well done to RCIPS for getting this far & making these improvements.
However burglaries remain a large problem even if they are down- it is still too high & too many; the police need to do more in this respect. (We are never happy!)
and who is counting?
The RCIPS … On all of their fingers and toes ;-p
Truth be told, The police are not responsible for this as one can remeber there was almost 100 armed robberies in 2011 with only about 8 arrest (so i'm almost certain the robbers are still out there, probably just on vacation), the robbers have just gotten so much mula that they dont have to rob for a while! this was just a rather desperate attempt by the police to paint themselves in a good light! in my opinion it is the innocent working folks that get the most harrassment from the police, parking tickets, speeding tickets, cant use your phone whilst driving, house burglarized nothing done, victim of a mugging nothing done and not to mention their disgusting attitudes. Spare us the headline of a meazly 6%.
Yea right, how much has the population fallen?
What – you mean the expats were committing the crimes!?
It's interesting that this article appears on CNS directly above a report of an armed intruder espacing into the night…
Because they didn’t count something or include it in a report, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen!
I reported a theft of property from my home on in mid-April while I was out. I explained that I had surveillance cameras and that the theft was caught on camera. I also shared that I had the necessary serial numbers and such to assist in recovery. As it was a Saturday afternoon, the lady at the police station said she would have an officer call me the following week to take a formal statement. It has now been almost 6 months later and I am still waiting on that call.
It is not a surprise, therefore, that crime is reported to be down. However, a police report claiming to demonstrate a fall in crime while many crimes are going unrecorded by the police really demonstrates nothing.
Maybe that phone call will come next week….
I understand you’re frustration but why not follow up? Kick up more of a fuss and something might get done. Seems like a no brainier to me??????
My family members vehilcle was broken into last Friday in GT by smashing the drivers window. The police were called and turned up and this is what happened:
Officer: peers into the car and asks is anything missing?
Victim: Yes, (list items)
Officer: We cant really do anything, look where you parked etc
Victim: Err, isnt that CCTV right there and this shirt on my front seat belongs to the robber, he used it too smash the window, his DNA will be all over it…
Officer: yeah, but there is nothing we can do
Victim: Perhaps you missed what i just said, that is CCTV looking right at my car and that shirt you just threw in the garbage has the robbers DNA all over it!
Officer: Yes I heard you, there is nothing we can do.
And there you have it folks.
'crime falls'????……..not from my experience or from anyone i have talked to……
I guess the silver lining after a massive spree of unsolved homicides and armed robberies is that the crime rate can only go down! But cars are still being broken into all the time, homes burgled and people are much more wary than they used to me.
Not true. The crime can get exponentially worse. It is still not anywhere in the vicinity of some of our Caribbean and Latin American neighbours.
Is that a pig flying over West Bay?
Just start scrolling down through CNS and tell me crime is down. I know of so many people whose homes were broken into and never reported. Dont take us for fool RCIPS
If you don’t report a crime it can’t be included in the statistics. A police officer in the UK once told me to report EVERY crime or incident no matter how seemingly small, only that way can the police know where and what crimes are occurring and divert resources accordingly. Reporting every incident would also have the effect of shaming the police service into action……
if you do not report it, you are part of the problem.
Acquiescence is the problem all over this island although it looks like it is changing.
Your right of course and it should be reported. But as many have learned to hard way it sometimes does not help and causes YOU more problems. Hence the many who don't bother. P.S. I am still waiting to get back my property taken from me for evidence in two different breakins. They somehow got "lost".
While the statistics may show a reduction in crime, the RCIPS needs to recognize that it is the criminals that control the amount of crime taking place in the community and not the RCIPS. The RCIPS by having in place certain crime prevention measures, can assist in deterring some criminal acts, however unless the RCIPS can swiftly and accurately remove the criminals from society and successfully lock them away then it is just a matter of time before the criminals develop new tactics and beat the RCIPS effort at crime prevention.
Those that can most greatly assist in crime prevention are the citizens who are most often the victims of crime and unless the victims put measures in place to prevent criminals from the oppertuninty to commit crimes the efforts of the RCIPS will be more difficult.
I suspect the gang killings last year probably contributed conserably to the reduction in other serious crimes this year. But nature abhors a vacuum and new gangsta-wannabees come along eventually.
Folks, we gotta hand it to the RCIP….despite all the moaning and groaning about what they do, the RCIP have achieved clear results. WELL DONE to all of the hard working coppers who made this happen. THANK YOU.
BS! People have just stopped reporting most crimes because nothing ever gets resolved!
Please report the facts:
Source: http://www.eso.ky/pages1.php?page=educationhealthsocialandprotectivestatistics
Since David Baines took over as Commissioner in June 2009 the % of offences cleared up as compared to those reported has fallen:
In 2008 (right before Baines) the percentage of offences Reported vs Cleared Up was 74%. In 2009 it dropped to 62% (Baines started in June 2009). Then the % dropped in 2010 to 30%!, and rose only slightly in 2011 to 37%.
If you knew that only 37% of crimes reported are cleared up in a year – would you report it.
Please, give me a break – the RCIP is a failure under the current manager. And these appauling statistics come at times when the CIG has poured money (even $4,000,000 to buy spy equipment) into the RCIPS.
Keep wearing the foil hat.
Don't stand near the microwave when it is on anymore.
Sorry I don't see crime going down, yes murders have stopped, they have all killed each other, but crime in general..i don't think so..just probably no one is reporting it or someone else isn't reporting the correct statistics…that has happened many many timesbefore..remember the tourism statistic…they stated it was high, but in fact tourism has dropped!!!