Thieves steal cops’ techy van

| 30/11/2012

P1010039 (219x275)_0.jpgCNS): A police utility van was stolen from a car park in George Town almost five months ago, the RCIPS has now admitted. Sources told CNS this week that the surveillance vehicle had been stolen some time ago but the police had not gone public over the loss of the expensive piece of equipment, which has not been recovered. CNS requested information about the loss of the vehicle Friday and eventually received a statement admitting that the van had been taken. The RCIPS also revealed that an unmarked police motorcycle had also been stolen from the George Town area in September. However, a few weeks later it was recovered in West Bay and one man has now been charged in connection with the theft.

Sources told CNS that in both cases it is believed that the keys were left in the unattended vehicles. The police have said very little about the van but stated that it was stolen from a car park.

"We can confirm that an unmarked police utility van was stolen from a public car park in the George Town area in early July,” a police spokesperson said. “At the time of the theft the vehicle did not contain any police equipment. Despite extensive police enquiries the vehicle has not yet been recovered or the person responsible traced.”

Other sources had indicated that the van did contain expensive equipment, a point that the RCIPS have now denied.

Ezzard Miller, the member for North Side, spoke with CNS Friday about the theft as it had also come to his attention that a  police vehicle had been stolen and the RCIPS had elected not to inform the public.

“It is absurd that the police would not seek the assistance of the community to find the van when the money used to buy it came from the public purse,” he stated. “I find it unbelievable that this type of vehicle could have been stolen in the first place and there must be an enquiry as to how it could happen. How did such a sizeable vehicle with antennas and satellitesjust disappear?" he wondered.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Our $5000 a month cell phone users (rcip)

  2. Baldric says:

    I heard a that van was fitted with state of the art doughnut makers, a mobile hot tub and electronic jamming in case anyone tried to contact them.

  3. Anonymous says:

    News 27 last night read from a RCIP statement about a minor mishap  with one of the boats whilst being trailored. From the photos going around and people who saw what happened they could of had another major mess on their hands. They got very lucky is the truth of the matter. once again its nothing to worry about. Its almost like there is one set of rules for the public that the RCIP dont even follow themselves. How can anyone have any confidence or trust in the force here. Dont stop the carnival.

    • sum bodi hep mi says:

      The word on the street is that the officer in charge is English and is a close friend of the commissioner!   Is this the case?

  4. The lone haranguer says:

    Whoops

  5. Anonymous says:

    The RCIP did not hide this matter for 5 months…it took them 5 months to realize it was gone!

  6. Anonymous says:

    The things that make us go hhhmmmmm – on an island that is 28 miles long and 8 miles wide a vehicle goes missing and not just a civilian's vehicle, a vehicle used by our, uniform wearing, shirt tucking, boot kicking, baton weilding, super intelligent police officers.  I am so proud of you guys, please putthe helicopter and two dodge chargers in the same place.  There must be "thug" or a few wearing that esteemed uniform.

  7. insane says:

    Unbelieveable!!!!!!

  8. Anonymous says:

    Why on earth would the police not put out a public appeal????? It would have been located  the same day!

    Absolutely mystifying!

    • Anonymous says:

      It's called embarrassment, my friend. At least we should give them credit for that.

  9. Anonymous says:

    DEPUTY GOVERNOR and CHIEF OFFICER (how much power do you really have?)

    Perhaps you should all view this matter with much seriousness and ask yourselves, why such a high tech piece of equipment was stolen in the first place? Let us consider the amount of crime that may have occurred, and is continuing to occur due to the absence of that key piece of crime fighting equipment. Ask yourselves, where that equipment could be, and what could it be used for today?

    Another very important question is, who is going to be held accountable for this UNPARDONABLE sin? I can guarantee that if this had happen under the command of a Caymanian Commissioner he/she would have not been allowed to return to work the next day.

    Let us now reflect on huge slice of the pie the police received during the 2012/2013 budget. When the Premier was trying to produce the budget earlier this year he announced that he was going to sell the helicopter in an effort to save the country two million dollars. Pressure was brought to bear on him and didn’t happen. The Premier also said he was going to discontinue the Hurricane Ivan allowance that the police are still receiving as part of their take home pay. That proposal by the Premier was also rejected and the police maintained their Hurricane Ivan allowance.

    Now let’s take a moment and think about the huge appropriation that was given to the police during the last budget. Government operates on an accrual accounting basis, which include valued assets. What was the cost of that high tech surveillance vehicle? I can assure you that the Job Description for the Commissioner holds him accountable for the police budget, assets and human capital. Who is going to be held liable for the lost of this huge asset to the country?

    I am waiting with eager expectancy to hear what the PortFolio of Internal and External Affair is going to say or do about this disaster within the RCIP service, or whether the powers to be will support the person responsible because of his powerful position and his nationality. I hope not, because from my point of view, this usurpation constitutes the greatest travesty ever in the history of our country.

    Should the call for some resignations be in order my fellow Caymanians? MR. EZZARD MILLER, I guess you will have to champion this one on behalf of the real Caymanians as well. You MUST come to our rescue by using the radio and parliament to demand the immediate resignation of the Commissioner of Police. Please don’t stop until he goes. Think about former Caymanian Commissioner Brags and Deputy Chief Dixon. Most recently, the Prison Director is out.

  10. hugh jass says:

    Northward prison soon gona go missing lol

  11. Anonymous says:

    There was a police rigid inflatable boat at Camana bay before the Parade of Lights Saturday, that suddenly disappeared too…was it stolen?

    • Anonymous says:

      Was that the same one that crashed on Linford Pierson Highway Saturday afternoon? I knew I should have taken a picture!

       

  12. Anonymous says:

    The Police service should invest in the minimalamount of money to instal a GPS tracking device  in similar valuable vehicles. They can be hidden in a place impossible to find by a thief & utilize their own power source, enabling the location to be quickly found, even if the vehicles battery is removed. As a bonus, they will also find the thief responsible.

    • Anonymous says:

      Why not in all police vehicles? Then they would know where they all are at any time and can dispatch the closest vehicle to an incident.

  13. Anonymous says:

    Was the cop who was in possession of the surveilance van the same cop who was asked to escort the woman who was in Rolston's Car the night of his accident, to the restroom ?

    It's really odd, They both disappeared without a trace.

    Just asking.

  14. Anonymous says:

    The stolen van was a small unmarked box van, (like Butterfield Bank use), not the van that is shown in the photos!

     

  15. Anonymous says:

    They could have stole it with our bright rcip crew in it & they wouldn’t know a thing lol!

    Braca

  16. Tickle My Pickle says:

    I think I am going to become a police officer.

    I fancy one of those Dodge Chargers

  17. Key "STONED" Cops says:

    The very fact that an expensive surveillance vehicle and more than likely technical equipment and other material, has been stolen and has disappeared without the slightest clue as to it's whereabouts. Which begs the question! Where was the $TWO MILLION in surveillance equipment that we have [or have not] installed recently?

    More than likely the equipment has never been activated!  Because if it had, it would have at a minimum seen the vehicle being driven some where on the roads of Grand Cayman while on it's way to where-ever it was planned to be taken! 

    Now!! The officer in charge of the vehicle! Was he taking a break to visit a friend or something where he could have been gone for hours, thus giving the perpetrator adequate time to take and dispose of the vehicle "THEREFORE THE LATE REPORTING OF THE THEFT" and the RICP none the wiser

     Let me say this folks. It is my firm belief that the theft of this vehicle and it's contents was a "WELL THOUGHT-OUT PLAN" with "POSSIBLE COLLUSION" for this to have happened the way it did.  As per the information above!  Therefore we beg you Commissioner Baines and we are expecting some from you some "CREDIBLE EXPLANATION"  from your office as to exactly what happened, and, that the officer and/ or officers under whose watch this  kind of negligence happened "HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED", and that a "THOROUGH" investigation of this matter is being conducted. 

     

  18. Anonymous says:

    The vehicle in question is a JIU – Joint Intelligence Unit (Police, Customs & Immigration van) which was loaded with lot's of the latest technical equipment including listening and recording devices, video equipment etc. etc …

    The Commissioner of Police and the officer(s) who left this vehicle unattended, should be "FIRED IMMEDIATELY"

    XXXX

       

  19. Anonymous says:

    Soo bloody embarassing – how can we trust them with guns – never mind vehicles?? While they're at it – what about issuing the public update reports into the:

    Runaway prisoner who was led to the RCIPS' Central lockup door, ran away, and is still missing; & The "theft" of drugs/evidence etc etc from the police's secure lockup – behind razor wire & security cameras – in the RCIPS main Compound!!

     

  20. Anonymous says:

    So who should be fired for losing these vehicles AND HIDING IT?

    The officers responsible ?

    RCIPS Commissioner?

    Government Ministry responsible?

    DG?

    Governor?

    Security Commission????

    Wow – unbelievable in this age of technology!

    No tracking devices on it?

    How much the cost to hide it from the public – while changing the main controls/security codes/access to prevent criminals from linkng into the national database?

    (Or have they even done this?)

    and they ask US to come forard and trust THEM with information!!

  21. J.EDGAR HOVER says:

    Please, Please, Governor IDENTIFY and REMOVE any and all  "RUDE, CORRUPT, and INCOMPETENT, POLICE"  from the RCIP we cannot take this for much longer! And may I  suggest until THEY start performing in a manner that we feel proud to address them as   ROYAL anything until they improve their performance to the extent where-by we feel proud to address them as the RICP.  Until then refer I suggest we refer to them as the C.K.C. "Cayman Keystone Cops".

    Just kidding of course!  BUT we the people are LOSING  CONFIDENCE in everyone who is         supposed to be LOOKING OUT FOR, and PROTECTING the citizens of this Island.

     

    CNS: Can you pleas estop using caps on random words like this. It's very annoying to read. I'm going to start deleting them soon.

    • Judean People's Front says:

      CNS …. Please can you allow posters like the above to continue to post in  mix of Capitals, lower case and un predictable punctuation.

      These posts are so much easier to spot making it quicker to skip on to the next readable, credible posting.

      This way, I don't lose time from my life that I will never get back and ultimately regret using.

  22. Dred says:

    This is so sad. So So Sad. Now the criminals are tired of stealing from the citizens and are targetting the Police. I am curious does the police station have proper security such as bars or smash proof glass. Lord forbid someone breaks in and steals our returned stolen property.

    Just saying.

  23. Anonymous says:

    Really????? Stole the survailance vehicle….. Stole the Survailance vehicle Really????….. legalize Marijuana……….. Really???????…… Stole the survailance vehicle……..Man this stuff is strong Cheech……What did you say….. they stole the survailance vehicle?…….hey roll another…..did you say they…………… stole……….. the survailance vehicle??? fi real?…… They like ……took… the police…… survailance…….. vehicle……. NO!!!!! …….You mean they didn't bring it back after they finished with it???……… "Hey Man maybe it was like……….. like…………. like you know man…. like it was …….. sucked up by aliens or something man……….. I mean you know that can happen Right??????….. Right?????..

     

    Wow!!!!!! They Stole the Survailance vehicle………….. Far Out Man….. Hey roll another man… this stuff is Great!!!!

  24. Anonymous says:

    Oh yeah why don't we check the CCTV Cameras for that one……..???????????

  25. Anonymous says:

    Well, I thought about steealing the cop car that was "Parked" on the PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, on Shedden Road on Friday Evening with the keys in it ENGINE RUNNING. Whilst the Femeale officer was stood in the line at KFC…….. "REALLY"

    • Anonymous says:

      Yeah – that is right bro!!

      I was behind her in line. I got her number but I probably shouldnt state it here

    • Anonymous says:

      dat cant be true man

       

  26. Anonymous says:

    Thanks to CNS and Mr. Miller for bringing this to the public's attention. However thedescription of the vehicle is not very helpful for anyone trying to locate it. Can you provide the COLOUR, MAKE & MODEL of this utility/surveillance van?

    • Diogenes says:

      No – its appearance is meant to be secret – at least, it was!….I guess if by some miracle they get it back, they don't want every TomDick and Harry knowing what it looks like (though given no one could possibly steal it for resale or use, you have to suspect the bad guys stole it in the first place in order to destroy it!) 

    • Anonymous says:

      Fess up cops – givve us info at least!!

    • noname says:

      Comm. David Baines,
      You certainly have a lot of questionable criminal incidents happening on your watch.We know they’re all “INSIDE JOBS.” Time to circulate some internal flyers asking for information from your staff as the public knows “:0” about this one!
      Something is seriously wrong with this Comm. of police and his administration, its just not working. Hope the new government forces the UK to do something. The governor doesn’t seem to care either. We do not have to put up with incompetency since we are paying the bill.
      The image of the Cayman islands is really at risk under this RCIP administration. No wonder our highly decorated Caymanian cops have either resigned or have been unfairly and unjustly accused, and dismissed without a cause.
      It is a result of British colonialism imposed on the territories, it couldn’t possibly be tolerated forever. Independence kind of look attractive at this juncture.

      • Anonymous says:

        Highly Decorated Caymanian Cops? WTF?

        I have never seen them leave Kentucky Fried Chicken in a hurry let alone head to somewhere like Afghanistan / Iraq to be highly decorated.

        I presume the term highly decorated in this instance refers to the scaffolding used in their interior decorating business run during working hours!

  27. Anonymous says:

    In comparison, Sounds like the the Officer who was convicted of Bribery, is Goood To Go. The Citizens of Cayman needs to talk REINBURSEMENT from the officers who allowed the van to be stolen.

  28. Anonymous says:

    Shaking My Head… for a really long time… saying "UNBELIEVABLE".

  29. Anonymous says:

    Uh oh spaghettioes!

  30. Dennie Warren Jr. says:

    The Hon. Nesta Robert Marley, OM said, “You can fool some people some times but you can’t fool all the people all the time.”

     

    I repeat, the Commissioner of Police should resign or be dismissed, but I don't have any faith that H.E. the Governor will take the correction action in this matter.  A Caymanian would have been removed from day one and made an example publicly.

    • Anonymous says:

      Dennie, please don't bring the Caymanian/expat equation into this – I think you're better than that.  Though at times it does work in a person's favour to be an expat, there are as many situations where it does not favour them.  The same applies to being Caymanian…so let's just call it par for the course.  Having said so, I agree entirely with you about the Commissioner of Police resigning or being forced to resign; I doubt he'd be able to fart on a diet of baked beans…  In fact, I'd remove a whole lot of them – expat and Caymanian.  It's time for a change – only problem with that is that it would serve as an acknowledgement of the totality of the failure of the RCIPS.

    • Anonymous says:

      When duties have been delegated, incidents that can be viewed as incompetence, carelessness and or negligence, can we continue to keep replacing Commissioners? if that is our only way to address what is happening then that's an expensive way to address consequences?

      There are various departments with respective supevisors, so maybe it's time we start looking at persons more directly involved then MAYBE persons throughout the service will be more inclined to worry about the security of their jobs and take responsibility.

      If all persons in rank below that of commissioner feel they have nothing to worry about because good ole Caymanians will call for the English guy to go, what is their incentive to do their job?

      I agree the Commissioner needs to do HIS job ……. which is to start ending some contracts, period. 

       

    • Anodarass says:

        I agree that the Commisioner should resign (or be removed), however, this has NOTHING to do with him being Caymanian or Non-Caymanian.

        Frankly, I am disappointed that you would make such a statement, especially given the FACT that The (Caymanian) Premier, other (Caymanian) Government Officials as well as several (Caymanian) Civil Servants have been or are currently being investigated or implicated in neferious activities that would have FORCED their resignation in any other progressive country.

        The Commisioner should go based SOLEY on his NON-PERFORMANCE.

        He is obviously out-of-his-depth and lacks both Ability & Testicular Fortitude.

        

    • Anonymous says:

      HItting the nail right on the head!

  31. Anonymous says:

    But wait –

     

    Crime is down.

  32. Anonymous says:

    lucky no one was sleeping in the back (were they?) Would be super uncool to lose an officer AND a van. Oh fo crying out loud, I can't believe I'm even typing this stuff!!!!!!!

  33. Knot S Smart says:

    This is embarrassing even to a joker like me…

    • Anonnymous says:

      Wonder which car park it was found in……..funny they didn't name the location.  Is this a secret also?

  34. Anonymous says:

    This is a good example of why the public has little, if any, faith or view the organization with a grain of salt in their eye.

    The fact is, no one man or entity is perfect. The RCIP is open to errors like everyone else on this planet. But what get's me, and others I'm sure, is the way they go about trying to cover up their own mistakes and wrong doings.

    As a matter of policy, they should have informed the public, as it is always them who say that if the public does not come forward to assist them with intel, it is hard for them to solve crime. But yet, when they themselves are victims of a crime (which how in the hell this one happened in the first place is giving me a migraine) they kept it to themselves; and only admitted after knowing that it was exposed.

    There is no justification for not letting the public know about this!! Was it a matter of National Security?, perhaps yeah only because the high tech equipment was stolen from the institution entrusted with the security of all people of the island. Therefore they should have made us aware. But instead they were embarrassed and tried to cover it up.

    So what would have happened if CNS didn't go poking around and asking questions? Would this has just been kept under the rug until everyone forgot about it?!!

    How would the disappearance of this expensive piece of crime fighting equipment be explained?

    Not a good example RCIP, you stand in front of the camera and tell people to come clean, do the right thing and exposed the wrong doings of other's (which I fully agree with you), but yet you try to cover up what happens in your own yard.

     

  35. Anonymous says:

    Doesn't surprise me at all. When I lived at TI the crime scenes van was regularly left in our car park at weekends while the driver went for a meal at the neighbouring restaurant. Like most public servants in these islands, many police officers and civilian employees regard RCIPS vehicles as their personal transportation. 

    • noname says:

      Hi guys, we ned some Tele Sevalases and Magnum PI thinkers on this one!

       

      Could the van have been involved in another serious crime  such as robbery or murder?

      Vehicles get stolen every day so what's so strange about this one? Its got to be a coverup for something else!

      Is it a UK Police responsible for the Van being stolen? The Caymanian police seem to be the first to always be punished or fried and burned at the steak. Curious to know the Identity, Nationality, and ethnicity on this careless cop whether senior or junior.

      Really interesting.

      Could there have been weapons in this van that were stolen as well and got into the hands of criminals?  Did this van contain any DNA evidence or other scenes of crime evidence why the RCIP took so long to release this information?

      THE PUBLICE SHOULD TAKE NOTE:

      Alll murder and robbery cases being heard of recent have all been dismised and the criminals walking FREE!

      Is the van responsible for holding crucial information to these cases ??????

      I'm suspicious!

      Our RCIP has been infiltrated by corrupt individuals and we have a responsibility to Watch Our Own Backs.

      .

  36. Anonymous says:

    The reporting of the theft itself is of paramount importance here. Were the RCIP embarassed perhaps? If so, not good enough.

    • Anonymous says:

      This is a bit like the still unresolved 'shot fired at an RCIPS cruiser' incident a while back.

      I it odd that someone inside that car received what, according to many sources now, appear to have been burns caused by muzzle blast but nobody was injured by flying glass.

      But then this is same highly-trained cadre of officers who have lost at least two firearms and left a quantity of live .223/5.56mm ammo on a public range. The phrases 'unintentional discharge' and 'cover up' come to mind.

  37. Anonymous says:

    On such a small island how can something as big as a police van just disappear. It certain make you wonder about how skilled the people that are supposed to be protecting public are. Someone had to have seen this vehicle. You'd think that such a high tech van would have GPS tracking to locate it..Sounds like an inside job, it's probably in Cuba as we speak…

    • Anonymous says:

      can't wait till the chopper goes missing

    • Anonymous says:

      If you have any dealing with the Police at all, you will see that many are almost illterate.  How they can be police officers is beyond me.  I believe all you need is a high school education, no 'O' Levels or anything else.   Honestly, if you can't read and write,you can't uphold the law because unless you have a photographic memory, you have no idea whta it says.  Its time for a shake up. Look for intelligent people, who can read and write and have good qualifications in the relevant fields. 

  38. Anonymous says:

    Sounds kinda like the old joke – Police station toilet stolen, cops have nothing to go on…

    Why do we have to put up with this kind of Keystone Cops behaviour?

  39. Anonymous says:

    OMG the coin has now turned. The criminals are now using this "high tech police vehicle" and it's surveillance equipment, to surveil the police !!! I'm expecting to hear that the Police Helicopter will be next. Lol.

  40. Anonymous says:

    Wow, this takes the cake.  Shouldn't someone be in the van doing survillance?  Instead, keys are left in it and it is stolen?  I find this unbelievable.

  41. Anonymous says:

    i thought they all had sattelite tracking devices,what a dumb bunch.bring down the Christmas draw guys everything concrete.

  42. Anon says:

    Thank you CNS for your fearless reporting. Left to our other (in the pocket or just plain cowardly) media outlets we would be completely in the dark!

    THANK YOU again for your courage under pressure, We need you. Never give up, those of us who do not have a voice due to intimidation, from you know who, will continue to support you with both are hearts and dollars. Albeit anon.

  43. Say Wha? says:

    I pledge my allegiance to the RCIPS,

    to dishonour and discredit myself and country,

    to be led by the nose by incompetent fools,

    and to prove that stupidity knows nobounds.

    I pledge my allegiance to the RCIPS,

    to drive around town with little purpose,

    ignore true crime and concern myself with tomfoolery,

    to persecute the innocent and ignore the guilty.

    I pledge my allegiance to the RCIPS,

    to pretend to work and pretend to care,

    to sign up for fat contracts as round as my belly,

    and make a mockery of my profession.

    I pledge my allegiance to the RCIPS

    no matter my rank, no matter my stripe,

    at the very least to live up to the incompetence of my peers,

    and best them if I can.

     

  44. Anonymous says:

    Inside job?

  45. Anonymous says:

    Can I get my repatriation money now?

    • Anonymous says:

      No. Ummmm we were storing all the repatriation money and all of the drug and forensics evidence in that van. Our bad……

  46. Say Wha? says:

    Umm, duh…  Umm…  Umm…  Ummmmmmmmmmmm.  Duh.  Umm.  Ummm. Duhhhhhhh,

  47. Stiffed-Necked Fool says:

    Tomorrow is December 1st, NOT April 1st!

  48. Anonymous says:

    How embarrassing!

  49. Anonymous says:

    This proves the Commissioner will cover up things that show the incompetence of the RCIPS.

    Can we trust the RCIPS??

    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly… and just how incompetent canyou get to allow something like this to happen.

      Sounds like the the Officer who was convicted of Bribery, is Goood To Go. The Citizens of Cayman needs to talk REINBURSEMENT from the officers who allowed the van to be stolen.

      What say the Public?

  50. Anonymous says:

    Start looking at the bottom of the canals and dyke roads! Really! I mean really!

    • Anonymous says:

      Your right. It will be found soon. Lobster season started today. Might be a few in the van. I’m going looking for it now

  51. Anonymous says:

    Ezzard Miller gives us the news again.What would we know without him. It will be interesting to hear how RCIP explains this.

    • Anynomous says:

      What goes around comes around.  I hope Ezzaed does not feel anyway next year when slow leaks come out about his works.  It is in the making.

  52. Anonymous says:

    All police vehicles should be equipped with GPS tracking devices. This would allow the command centre to know which vehicle is nearest to any incident for quicker response times, and also show if the driver is using it for grocery shopping as I observed this week. Of course it would also help in quickly locating any stolen vehicles.

  53. Cheese Face says:

    Keystone cops!

  54. Anynomous says:

    This should not have been reported in the news >  The police had a reason for not doing so, but in Cayman there is JackAss in every Bar.  Who can you trust to keep a secret.  No one.

  55. Anonymous says:

    Mr. Miller – "How did such a sizeable vehicle with antennas and satellites just disappear."

    Answer – A UFO?? 

    • SKEPTICAL says:

      No – the component parts are probably in Jamaica.

      • Richard Wadd says:

        Maybe so, but only as a result of the INCOMPETENCE of the RCIPS.

        The Police are supposed to search and verify the contents of EVERY SHIPPING CONTAINER leaving the Cayman Islands for Export.

        THEY DO NOT !!

        Containers are shipped from a known ILLEGAL "Shipping Company" in Swamp on a regular basis (not a licensed LCL shipper, not even a licensed business).

        NONE of them are searched as dictated by Customs. The Shipping Manifest are not even completed as REQUIRED BY LAW, yet there are regular shipments from this as well as other 'Exporters' to Jamaica, Honduras, etc.

         It is the very same Nonchalant attitude that the RCIPS have displayed with the Unaccounted-for Firearm from their Armoury.