Taylor calls top level meeting
(CNS): The Cayman Islands governor has said that he will be meeting with the premier, the deputy governor, the attorney general, the director of public prosecutions and the commissioner of police Monday to address the escalating gang violence in West Bay. In a statement released Sunday evening Duncan Taylor said he was “horrified and disgusted” about the three murders that have taken place over the last five days, describing the violence as “shocking and intolerable”. He said that the meeting would allow the country’s top officials to look at ways within the law to deal with the unacceptable violence and find a way to stop it.
“We will look very carefully and critically at what we are doing now and consider creatively and exhaustively the range of other possible options available to us,” the governor stated. “This level of violence is completely unacceptable and we must and will do whatever is necessary to stop it continuing.”
He said that last year the RCIPS had risen to the challenge to put a stop to a string of gun related murders in early 2010 and had taken some dangerous people off the streets. He said that in order for them to do so again they needed the help of the community and urged people who knew who the gunmen were or where the guns were hidden to come forward.
“There are some of you in the community who have information that could help the police apprehend these killers. If you are one of them, I urge you to come forward with this information. It will be treated in confidence. Please do the right thing: help stop this senseless killing and make our communities safer places for us all,” Taylor said.
Category: Crime
We need a new Governor that is what we need.
Wow. A top level meeting. Yep – that'll take care of the crime problem all right.
SMFH!
BRING BACK DEREK HAINES!!!!
Hey big Mac, lil Mac, circle Mac, square Mac or whatever your shape or size is these days, please do something? Reason with them Sir Mac "from one WB idiot to the other/s" I'm sure they'll listen to you since they were "smart" enough to vote you in again.
This Governor of ours reminds me of casava cake – slow to bake – slow to make a move.
One of the reasons the thugs stay on the street is that few are willing to give evidence. Nobody sees or hears anything because there is no down side to staying quiet. The answer is to change the law to make it more risky to stay quiet than to talk. Make it a criminal offence to obstruct justice by staying quiet. Also offer big rewards to those who turn in the criminals – $100,000 not $1,000. These two things will make people more willing to help put the criminals away.
We also need to create pressures so that the criminals turn on eachother, We need to make sentences much longer and eliminate parole and then allow the prosecutors to plea bargain with the criminals to turn on each other in exchange for shorter sentences. At the moment there is no provision in our law to let that happen. This is an easy way of getting advantage over the criminals.
Holding meetings, putting out press releases and throwing money away is not the answer. If it was we would have no problems at all.
Let's have some type of gang intervention in the schools. In the U.S. they have programmes where the leaders go into the schools and make the kids confront each other. Make the bullies hear in a safe public environment what their actions have done to those on the receiving end and it literally turns the schools around. This is what we need. What we also need are more loving,caring adults – relatives, teachers, neighbours, relatives, pastors, church members, etc. to care for some of these kids when they are being abused and neglected at home. We all know them. I have them in my family and do what I can to help because the mothers and fathers are failing miserably at their jobs. We need our kids to be educated when they leave school. If a child is misbehaving/acting out at school, there is usually a reason for it. Let's stop labelling them as bad and try to find out why they are behaving as they do. As a mother, my heart bleeds for all who have lost loved ones to this senseless insane crime. Especially for the parents of little Jeremiah whose death was senseless and disgusting and the parents, children, uncles, cousins, friends of all who have been murdered in the past few years, for the families of the two ladies who are missing and for the many, many children of drug addicts and abuser who are coming up through the schools now. If we don't care about them, they will find what they need in gangs.
This documentary on gangs had a chilling quote from a gang member. When asked if there was a war in Rio, the gang member said, "There will always be a war as long as there is corruption and money".
http://current.com/shows/vanguard/93336320_city-of-god-guns-gangs-vanguard-trailer.htm
It is NOT okay for Mackeeva to say this is not his problem. The corruption goes all the way to the top. It starts with stealing office supplies, giving contracts to cronies, and KNOWING who the white collar drug kingpins are. Zero tolerance at all levels is the only acceptable way forward.
Watch this documentary and pray for military help and the end of corruption (at all levels).
Loving one another, I can agree with. But God? Have a read through Logwoodz Dons Facebook page. Whoever writes that page knows his Bible. He quotes from Psalms and updates his status with both calls for murder AND prayers to God. Did God answer? Perhaps He did…
Confidence and the statement that the RCIP met the challenge is far fetched at best. Way too many body bags were filled and not enough convictions were obtained. There are many great points posted about the cause of this so I will not comment but in terms of stopping the killings and let us not forget the many armed robberies some reported to the public others not like a home invasion several months ago in South Sound you will need to get some fresh thought on how to calm this uprising by these mow mows and not expand on current ideas and policy’s that have been a complete failure so far. There are laws on the books already that can work in the favor of the Police
So that is not the answer. Baines has sat around and publicly stated that with progress crime is going to happen and this is the Cayman we live in and to acceapt that. Words to that effect. On that note we have thugs on his watch instilling fear into the public and his own Officers. All of this left unchecked is the road that has driven is to this point . Why are we still following this path when it has failed to the extent it has? We as law abiding citizens cannot allow thugs to use fear and use the law to hide behind to instill terror into the greater community. You cannot as many have posted allow people to kill one another as if they get away with it it will only escalate to where they will kill for whatever they want and perhaps may be you or someone you care about.
Taylor is this just talk or are you going to do the following?
1-tap phones of all suspected gang members and drug dealers.
2- monitor all activities of gang members, their families, friends, girlfriends and wives.
3-put in place a Gang Task Force and asking Derek Haines and Shaun Ebanks for advice and create a Coastal Patrol Agency with up to 100 highly trained armed units.
4-ask the LA or NY City Chief of Police to provide up to 20 specialist trained gang officers
5-set up CCTV in all high risk areas and have patrol units on the go 24/7 no more donut eating A/C officers.
6-ask ex gang members for assistance in understanding gang operations, movements and inside knowledge. Gangs are clans whose major mains of support is robbing, selling drugs and firearms, numbers and prostitution.
7-set up more family programs and look at better parenting methods, this is where things have gone wrong, babies having babies, raised on neglection, no moral values.Make wearing gangter clothing and attire illegal to wear as the old saying walk like a duck act like a duck especially in schools no baggies, tatoos and excess piercings.
8-education, every Caymanian has to finish high school with a diploma and be able to read and write even if it means they finish at 19. Vast majority of gang members are drop outs or have a poor education. Look at introducing a Naval Marine that will help dilinquents and disadvantage youths to lead positive and productive lives.
10-get churches to be more involved in the community and speakout against violence, teenage pregnancy and child abuse, why are we giving them $4millions for if they can't be of help to our failing youths.
If you, Baines, Bulgin, Mac and Alden don't find proper solutions in 60 days and this craziness continues and you ain't got solutions then it's time everyone of you find a new job. We as concerned residents are sick and tired of talk and I want answers and if it means RCIPS killing a gang member or beating him or her to set an example so be it. I've said it before that the UK wants rid of us so they prefer that we damage our good reputation by incresaing crime to hurt tourism just like they did with our finance industry and the Bridger investigation. The Police knew that the 2nd and 3rd murder would follow soon after Robert Bush and instead of arrested suspected gang members and friends/family members for 72 hours and questioning them they choose the waiting game which led to Andrew Baptist and Preston Rivers both being assasinated. We are in dangerous times and serious measures need to be put in place even if it means introducing the death penalty.
Agree, Agree, Agree, Ken P. Thumbs up, up, up.
My My MY now the Governor and other high ranking officials think it is intolerable and unaccepable just because a few idots are killing themselves off. Leave them alone let them erradicate themselves. It was not intolerable and unaccepable when all they were doing was terrorizing innocent citizens in the banks and businesses but now it is. Something should have been done long ago. Back in the 80's the government of the day brought in undercover cops and got the matter sorted out very quickly. Lets see what brain waive these government morons come up with now.
One would have thought that the all powerful West Bay MLAs with their chests pushed out, would have been on the streets of West Bay urging the gangs to reign themselves in and cut out the violence, but has anyone seen them? They are mighty silent and inactive on that fornt, aren't they? Where's the West Bay Premier? Oh, he's overseas again? Did someone say he was addressing the problem from overseas?
Was what was said, something like, 'you are on my territory now'. Yes, now look at it – oh not possible – overseas again!
The Governor is responsible for crime, the PPM are responsible for the drop in cruise ship visits, and Big Mac is responsible for the increase in air arrivals, his own travels contributing to the increased numbers no doubt.
So is he really at the PNP Conference in Jamaica, or is that a rumour?
they are not mighty. they are pussy
cats
Parents you need to give them UP.
You know who your drunk all the time , time to give them up .
GIVE THEM UP
Everyone. We need to Ask GOD for A Solution to these problems. We Need to Teach the Bible to these Young People. We need to instow our younger generations with the LOVE for ONE another. We need to ask GOD to bless this country as HE has done for Years. LOVE one Another as you LOVE Yourself.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
we also need to help all the children who are being abused and neglected. Those who go to school hungry and leave hungry, those who have no one to love them and care for them. This is one of the reasons they join gangs because they feel that they are not loved at home. This is one of the reasons they act out. Many kids come from homes where there are several kids who all have different fathers. They have no real malerole models. ladies, stop having kids for this one and that one – most of whom you end up raising by yourself because the dads are deadbeat dads. Try to at least be a in stable, loving relationship before you even think of bringing a child into this world. Your first baby's daddy couldn't less about the child you had for the second, third and fourth daddy and vice versa. Kids need a stable, loving home – with 2 parents – if at all possible and I know its not always possible and I'm not berating the many single parents who do a great job but the simple truth is that all children – but especially teenaged boys need male role models in their lives, who they can trust and respect. Not gangsters or druggies or alchoholics. Kids who grow up in abusive homes where parents abuse alcohol and drugs are far more likely to end up the same way. Young ladies. Have more respect for yourselves. Stop having babies for men who are not good father material. Stop having babies at 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, etc. Wait until you have your education and you are mature enough to find a decent man before you even think of having a baby.
I am not a christian, but I don't see one thing wrong with what the above posts says. just substitute whatever word that you're comfortable with for god and it's all gold.
Unfortunately there is no substitute for God.
many people have many different names for the same thing
The following quotation from the Bible has been copied and pasted as it appears on the Logwoodz Dons Facebook page:
"When the wicked, even mine enemies and foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. Psalms 27 2-3".
This one has been copied and pasted from the same page:
"Some boy going dead 4 this nigga right ya!!!! Nuh seh nothin".
It seems to me that these boys feel God is on their side against their enemies. The Bible is full of this same type of vengeance. In what way, then, will Bible teaching help to mitigate the violence? More is needed.
Anyone can misuse the Bible or any other book for their evil purposes. Cult leaders do it all the time.
The NT teaches "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing". (1 Peter 3:9).
I always did wonder how a book written by an omnipotent being could be so unclear that it could be used for exactly the opposite purpose than the one for which it was intended…but if you say it's true, I'm sure it is.
In any case, it is not a matter of anyone misusing the Bible for evil purposes. The point is that these kids have already been raised in Cayman's churches; they know their Bibles and identify themselves as part of the wider Christian culture. Read their Facebook pages. Many of them list the Bible as their favourite book. The Logwoodz Dons page (which seems to have been taken down) talks about having the devil inside, and feeling the lord, but the lord "moving so slow". Others maintain that they are blessed by God and appreciative of him, because their enemies have been killed while they are still alive. These kids don't seem evil to me; vulgar and uneducated, yes. Confused and naive, yes. Self-important to the point of absurdity, yes. And shockingly cavalier, yes. But not evil necessarily. They just don't seem to be able to see past the limited world in which they are stuck.
These kids are not misusing the Bible consciously. Christianity seems simply to have failed them — or to have been lost on them.
.
God helps those who help themselves, not idiots who murder each other without leaving behind a descent life insurance policy.
Make a law that states if you are wearing gold around your neck, have your jeans hanging on your knees, walk like an idiot, you are going to jail for a week.
It took a week to change the law for the shetty hospital, 2 weeks for the high tech city, so this should be an easy one.
Or simply enforce the existing law, that wearing gang colors is illegal.
The police know where they hang out, so PICK them up.
Additionally, have pictures with rewards hang up in every supermarket and available on the internet.
Screen facebook and bring them in.
Instead of handing out 10 million to friends and family, you could have put a 200.000 award on the top 50 criminals. With that kind of money one can leave this place, because the island is too small for witness protection.
"Bad Meets Evil" – that' what this is!
But…the RCIPS don't need more info.
I don't live in the area, but the entrance of Logwoods area cant be missed – there are large graffiti signs with the names at the road entrance, right on the main road.
Curiously, that building that has been painted with these for many many months is actually owned by a former senior police officer.
Other areas around West Bay are similarly "tagged" in English AND Spanish…our children are growing up under these labels on their neighborhoods and lives.
Now – just who has the guts to paint them out? Aren't these illegal under recent anti-gang laws?
Also – the polcie intelligence gathered in West Bay and throughout these islands over the years would be sufficient to help a lot — if only the police and courts had engendered the trust of the residents – especially law those abiding people – to communicate openly with them.
And for the 1000th time!!!!!!
British policing WILL never work in the caribbean, It is a whole different culture!
You top brass have all my respect for everything that you do and know, but at the end of the day you have no street sence or knowlage. If you did these gangs would have been cleared out long ago.
Get rid of the stupid, "poor guy he has no daddy" attitude and get rid of the pointless drug court. Has anyone saw the cause lists fot that place???? Burglary, assult, theft, No driving licence, no insurance and it goes on and on…………"but the offender had a splif just before the offence"
Clean the beaches, HARD LABOR in the sun is what is needed, guaranteed!
I hope you're not saying that weed is not a part of the problem here, because it's way down there at the base with other addictions as a root cause of this misery.
The more chaos in a country, the more policians can enrich themselves, because the people are afraid and distracted.
So do not expect any changes . . . . . . .
The laws are already in place, but they are not being enforced.
What you have to realise is our "leaders", inspectors, high positions etc. are all good buddies, enjoying free meals and drinks together in any number of places. Government is just cronyism and bad leadership on a level never before seen. Dont hold your breath to see anything getting fixed here
you forgot to mention that they also have their thumbs up their wazoos
Can you imagine it took lodging a complaint this morning on the FCO website via comment/question section, to get a response out of this Governor.
At least its funny how that was done this morning and he made a statement this evening. But maybe not. Maybe just coincidence. Anyway at least he made one. Now no more talk. The law abiding citizens of the Cayman Islands want to see action.
Was it not announced on Friday that there would be an emergency meeting held on Monday morning. How could he have made a comment this evening when it is only midday now.
Because it was posted on FCO site Sunday morning about 8am, if yougo to Cayman Compass you will see that, comment was posted yesterday. It so happens that CNS only posted it this morning.
If you read the comment check the date and time that CNS posted it you should realise that that would have been written yesterday, for CNS to post it so early. Besides do we now expect the staff of CNS to live in front of their computers 24hrs a day, every day? Breaking news to post as it happens is one thing, but, to expect our(the public) rants and opinions however stupid or great they may be to be posted as we send them whatever time or date that we choose is something else.
CNS am I wrong in saying that it was last week Monday sept 12 that the officials said they would speak after thier closed door meeting with govt.on Friday 9 or did I miss the part Friday sept 16 where they said they would speak today?
CNS: We recieved the attached statement Sunday afternoon, September 18.
This had better stop now! let us get a hold of this virus before it spreads and destroy the entire country. Look at our neighbour, it started in a small pocket of their society the proper attention was not given to that one area now it has spread to every part of that country can we afford that here? We had better get back control of this place ASAP. We need to take our heads out of the sand and face reality. Our young people need guidance and jobs, stop the BS about development and investment. Provide guidance and direction for the young people of this country, lead by example stop being criminals and expect the young people to be angels. Be the proper role models for these young men, where are the many church leaders, with the nation building funds? get out of your replicas of TBN churches and go out to Logwoods and Birchtree Hill talk to the young men hanging around those areas do what Jesus would do. As for the politicians lead by example. I am so upset over what is happening and no one seems to care about the root cause of these problems, the only concern is that it will destroy our tourism, investments and that is might spread to the gates of their gated communities. Address the problems now, or more like yesterday. This does not need a band aid, it is an open wound. All the the so called leaders of this country will talk about is development and investment, I just wonder who will we develop for soon because at the rate of these killing there won't be a single Caymanian male left.
Our Caymanian commissioner was pressured to resign for two murders in a month. Now there are three a week and Baines is given 4 million more despite having 25% more officers.
Baines need to go. Sir do the honourable thing and resign!
SOL
As soon as Caymanians can come up with better solutions (other than the whining and crying and complaining) then I am sure Baines and any "other" person working on Caymanian problems will be happy to turn it over to you. Until then I'm sure its nice for you that you don't have to prove yourelf fit for the job unless its the good old Caymanian Complaining Commision.
10:48
With an average of 2-3 Robberies per week and a new Caymanian record of 3 murders in a week; Kirky can do a better job! (yeah broaden your local knowledge and find out who he is from your local counterpart). Ennis, Marlon or Seales can do a better job, and will do once the shackles from this command are removed.
SOL
The "Dangerous People" they had taken off the streets last year…..Were any of these peoples released since then? I have been think about moving to Colorado and was looking at crime statistics there. The property type crimes for example are going down because the legal system realized that many of the offenders are repeat offenders and pathological. Meaning that they can't be rehabilitated or simply refuse to be so they are serving them with longer sentances. Simply meaning if they are not out in public they are not a threat and therefore crime goes down. I believe foreign Nationals should be deported unless being held for murder or rape. The drug offenders …let them plea bargain for giving up their connections that may lead to the importers who may also be ferrying guns. Free up the space and make room for the people who should not be in our midst. Gun Crime 20 years minimum with no possibility for parol. Check any boats coming from Honduras for guns… Fishing Boats ..everything. Protect our borders.
Mr. Bush: You say the crime wave is the responsibility of the Governor and the RCIPS. You believe all you have to do is reistate the RCIPS budget, throw them an extra $1M, and tell them to "get on with it." You obviously have absolutely no comprehension or understanding that the complete absence of political initiatives to provide employment or training opportunities for Caymanian youth, the unbearable cost of living in Cayman created by massive tax hikes, and the ever widening gap between the haves and have nots — to name just a few social ills — are part of the CAUSES of crime. Yes, Mr. Bush, there is a direct link between a government devoid of effective socio-economic policies and crime. With zero growth in the economy, the only way you've been able to created a $25M budget surplus is to punish Caymanians with higher taxes, including the very poorest in the community who are now finding it hard to pay their utility bills and feed their children. Whether you like it or not, your socio-economic policies — or complete lack of them — is a major influence on worsening crime in the Cayman. Forget the millionaire investors for just just one minute and concetrate on the poorest people in Cayman, especially those in your own constituency of West Bay.
This has nothing to do with the RCIPS or parents after close examination of the problem, I am of the opinion that these murders are orchestrated by the choir masters of garrison politics. Just pay attention to what was said and the actions that followed. This island is on the verge of no return and can only be redeemed if and when the UK chooses to intervene by direct rule. The system is broken and can only be fixed by begining from the top to the bottom.
"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery … none but ourselves can free our minds …"
– Marcus Mosiah Garvey / Bob Marley
I agree that we need a stronger, properly trained police pressence in the island. The other night, I heard my dogs barking fiercely. I got up and looked out to see a strange man standing in front ot my yard, looking at both my house and the house across the street. He was standing under a street light that I fought to have installed. I took my cell phone and called the police while watching what he was doing. The police officer that I spoke to informed that I must call back. Imagine that, CALL BACK WHILE SOME STRANGER STOOD CASING YOUR HOME AND THE HOME ACROSS THE STREET. I finally went and hit the panic button our security alarm and the sound caused him to quickly walk away. My point is that nobody knows what might have happened if I did not have an alarm system that has a panic button. We could have been murdered, because our police officers rather sit in their airconditioned stations instead of being out there patrolling the side streets and offering us, at least the assurance that the people who are supposed to "Serve and Protect" are making their presence known on all the streets.
The people we elected are doing their best to combat this problem. Their only solution is to add the financial resources to law enforcement.
Law enforcement need to spend this money wisely. We do not need more cops on the beat for gang violence, we need specialist in putting these criminals behind bars. We need experts in criminal justice, so that we stop bringing these weak cases into court.
We know who they are. Law enforcement know who they are. No need for the crime stoppers hotline to find out who these gang members are and who maybe next.
http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/crime/2011/09/06/witness-saw-danger-victim
We just let go 2 of them because of weak cases. Is it a coinsidence that the violence started again after we let them go?
http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/crime/2011/09/07/charges-dropped-after-man-serves-year-remand
http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/crime/2011/08/31/anglin-acquitted-murder
Don't hire more police. Hire the right kind of police and maybe we can earn the respect of Mr. Alberga.
http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/local-news/2011/09/10/legal-doyen-tells-top-cop-apologise-judge
zzzzzzz…..go back to sleep mr. governor….
you have failed us for too long…… this island needed good governance for the last 2 years….where were you?
I am an angry and embarassed west bayer and what i witnessed last night was so unbelieveable! You always hear about these things in someone else's backyard but you never imagine the shock to see it so close to yours! It's like there are vampires on the loose! I am scared. I try to walk around like nothing is wrong, but it's like the hair on the back of your neck stand up when you turn away, especially at night fall! The once normal barking of dogs are now like signs of WARNING! Family's are on lock down for fear of drive by's. Once noises of children's laughter are drowned out by helicoptors.It's insane! But why? Pure fhoppishness and disregard! But you know what? The quickest resolve to this problem is security! Neighbors BLAST on your outside lights! We need to light up the place so these vultures can't hide out and lay wait in people yards! Get a dog. Trim yah hedges. Put cameras on the known hang outs. Start reporting anything you hear or see that is alarming, we really need to help police trail these suspects. And we might as well do a curfew (the killers already keeping us indoors anyway)! Ahhh boy, I tell yah wha, our MLA's should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen! They should have started from 10 years ago going out and talking with and mentoring our young men/women! But no, no time for walk abouts, deh busy at the cocktail parties promoting cayman, right? Well cocktail this! Ask unna big shot friends if any of them can lend us some of their securtiy guards??? CHA! Sickening. And I mean look at our communtiy. Look at our churces. That money should have been invested in recreational parks/halls or to finish the schools. But no, to think, a $1.4m donation to a family church was more important than our kids!? No wonder the young people going mad. IDLE HANDS! And ooooohhh please, Government need to drop this urine test foolishness on job applications and help get our young people working! Cuz every time yah turn around you hear, "I can't get a job beacuse of my urine test (or police) record". Enough! Drop dat. Country can't afford to support them anymore anyhow. And how I see it, if you doing your job right, OR unless your in a field where your responsible for lives, what you do on your own time is your business! GET WID THE PROGRAM EUGENE, MAC, CG, MIKE, and ROLSTON, cuz the young people playing CHIEF now, and nuttin should go so! Better watch out deh don't run us ALL outta yah!
A curfew is not the solution. You dont think these lil bastards know the side roads and bushes to move around. How do you think they get away from the scene so often. This would also hurt business in West Bay if the curfew was early and if it was at say 10 pm then they would just commit there crime earlier. What happens to people that work after 10 pm and have to go home. Then you have more police attending to traffic of decent people. Then you have people wanting to relocate.
Thank you 21;22…..you hit the nail on the had and as usual no one cares or notices these issues until its too late. If you ask me 3 generations have been lost. Hopefully the future will get more confidence and proper training to enter society with the knowledge of securing employment.
Why doesn't Truman Bodden and John McLean send in one of their timely letters to the editor from the irrelevant. How dear Duncan Taylor say we have gangs.
Truman for years said we didn't have Gangs, but only had Groups.
Well, I guess this is now an all out GROUP WAR!
Witness Protection Program with utmost and strictest confidence…………havent heard of this ever existing………….tell the police something and before you reach home, its appearing on your bbm
Governor Taylor, where have you been at this time??????
Can you tell us WHY the RCIPS Task Force dissolved???????
Its obvious that the significance of having an elite body of the RCIPS such as the Task Force is not considered to be an invaluable resource by the officials of the Internal Affairs.
Maybe, just maybe these top officials maybe the beginning to getting some kind of homeland security implemented.
I've got a question for you though: Would you go combat a gun fight with only a pen in your pocket, handcuffs in your waist and a baton by your side??????…………..I bet you wouldnt even begin to consider attending!! Therefore tell me, why do you expect the RCIPS to do so!!!?????.
What reeeeeeeeeeeally gets me is that you expect our policemen to "serve and protect" themselves and us with such useless tools.
Ya'know, I've now reached an opinion that the police commissioner is either incompetence or he is waiting to this situation to escalate to this degree in order to justify why the Cayman Islands people should pay for another truck-load of English officers to be sent to Cayman.
History has a tricky way of repeating itself but history is what we have to measure the effectiveness of such a move………useless! Wish I could have said priceless!!
Simple solution:
All drug use convictions attract a 10 year minimum sentence for first offense, 15 years for the second and life(without parole) for the third.
Why?
Well it seems we can get convictions for drug use offenses, so this way we can lock up the customers of the gangs, soon the gangs have no money, therefore there is no reason to be in a gang, soon no gangs.
Might seem drastic to some on the pansy human rights folks, however think of this:
What gives the power to the gangs? The money
What makes the gang lifestyle so attractive? The money
Where does the money come from? The customers
So we can easily conclude, get rid of the customers, soon there will be no money, with no money there will be no gangs.
Problem solved!!!!!!!
This little 2 x 4 Island and they cannot solve the policing problems eh.
Something is fundamentally wrong. Whatever it is, lets hope there is the will to flesh it out and deal with it now once and for all.
Radical measures need to be taken.
Cayman was well repersented at PNP Party Conference in Jamaica. Major UDP leader seen on TV. While back at thr Ranch one dead……….
Yes, that is the current government's solution for crime – go on a nice trip and make the people pay for it – especially when they are having a hard time paying their own bills, or are unemployed for the first time in their lives.
Calls for the bringing in of special police forces from the UK are quite pointless in my opinion.
When all is said and done, we here in the Cayman Islands fall under the remit of the UK / EU approach to policing, and the "soft" method is exactly how the UK police conducts their business today.
What are we expecting, for armed British police having arrived fresh off the boat to drive into Birch Tree Hill / Logwood and start kicking in doors?!
Then what?
We have laws and a judicial system to contend with and regardless of who is doing the policing they are required to operate within their stated parameters.
First of all, they wouldn't have a clue as to how to get there nor would they understand a word of what the community / suspects are saying.
Secondly they would be a temporary measure and our youths / gangs are a permanent fixture of our society now. The British / foreign team would eventually leave and then what?
Furthermore, British police do not have an excellent track record when it comes to dealing with individuals that fall outside the quintessentially "British" category. (Not only do the official statistics support that statement but I have also experienced this first hand.)
British armed police are NOT the saintly heroes that many of us seem to believe – just ask Jean Charles de Menezes (RIP).
(Of course this does not apply to every single officer, I am only pointing out the reality of the situation on British home soil to drive home the point that to import this element here to the Cayman Islands may not bring about the results that many are expecting.)
Besides, the UK has its hotspots where shootings and stabbings are weekly if not daily events for periods at a time (Hackney, London / Glasgow, Scotland / St. Pauls, Birmingham / Toxteth, Liverpool / Belfast, Ireland). We must understand that the UK are themselves facing a challenging task of controlling serious crime within their society.
However, in regards to this particular spike in crime over the past few days I actually do not place as much blame on the RCIPS as others. I say that because these idiots were / are hell-bound on killing one another. After the first murder the most positive alternative could have been a mere postponement of the inevitable because the thirst for revenge would have remained.
I see the family members crying on the television news reports but I am afraid I am somewhat indifferent to their remarks.
This is the Cayman Islands, and as a fellow Caymanian male of their generation I know that 99.9% of our "gangsters" joined these gangs for "style" or "fashion" and not out of necessity.
If you made the decision to life such a life in the Cayman Islands in 2011 – then you (and your loved ones) ought to have been prepared to receive a hot, speeding bullet to your dome.
Simple.
What more is there to say?
* And in case you are wondering – YES, I / my family have / has lost loved ones to violent crime – quite recently as well.
All the best Cayman.
** I hope the gangs eventually realize that all of this is absolutely pointless and that every one of them will look back with shame and deep regret in the future … if they make it to the future that is.
I don't think anyone is seriously expecting British police to come in and fix this mess in West Bay. What's this obsession with the UK of yours anyway? You spent a little time there once so now your an expert? At least it's good to hear those "soft" UK police aren't always so once you get on the wrong side of them.
Seriuosly though I am sorry to hear that your family has lost more than one person to violent crime recently.There is no short term fix for the current situation because (a) Too high a proportion of Caymanians are lawless by nature and (b) the rest are fundamentally too lazy to really do anything to fix their Islands – it requires planning, resources, strategy, energy and local people who really care.
1. Re: "What's this obsession with the UK of yours anyway?"
The Cayman Islands is a colony of the United Kingdom. Much of our issues are naturally tied to or affected by that country.
2. Re: "You spent a little time there once so now your an expert?"
Glad to see you are not in disagreement with my observations.
3. Re: "Seriuosly though I am sorry to hear that your family has lost more than one person to violent crime recently."
Thank you. (Rolls eyes.)
4. I have no comment in regards to the rest of your post. I only trust that you have the good sense to be ashamed by your own hateful, inflammatory and prejudiced words.
*Lastly, do you live in the Cayman Islands? Do you intend to remain? If these are your true feeling towards us Caymanians why would you stay here? Is it then safe to assume that wherever you come from is an made up of even worse people than these wretched isles?
I almost added my own thumbs up to your post. Almost. The last sentence lost me. It was nearly as hateful as the poster to whom you were responding. Please, can we stop the "my island is better than your island" p*ssing contest? It's really getting tiresome. Just stop feeding the trolls.
You said "There is no short term fix for the current situation because (a) Too high a proportion of Caymanians are lawless by nature and (b) the rest are fundamentally too lazy to really do anything to fix their Islands".
Wow! What an incredibly racist statement! According to you Caymanians fall intoone two categories "lawless by nature" or "fundamentally too lazy". There is no wonder why there is so much friction between Caymanians and expats when we have people here with mindsets such as yours.
HALLELUJAH!! At least SOMEBODY besides ME understands that the solution is NOT bringing in More UK officers, rather, give the ones you have a new mandate..equip them to do the job and then STEP ASIDE and watch as they get the job done…one of the things I have not see ANYONE mention is the fact that as Cayman has no standing army or defense force, the RCIPS is the ONLY thing standing between order and anarchy…they MUST be given the authority to start using extra ordinary measures to COMBAT this surge in violent crime….I know of a cozy little vacation getaway about 90 miles North of Cayman that we could start sending some of these guys..it's called Camp X-RAY!!
What needs to be done immediately is to bring in a few British warships with several helicopters and an onboard jail and maybe about 100 US soldiers and at least 1 armed and bullet proof Hummer in each district patrolling in shifts 24 hours/day with an 8PM curfew. Road blocks on every main road in every district and every car stopped and checked thoroughly. Since the Police say they know who all these criminals are a list could be provided to the troops. If they are caught they are jailed automatically without bail. Anyone else out on the road who is suspicious or is without a valid reason such as going to work would be interogated by these armed and properly trained professionals and then locked up if necessary. When the jails get too crowded shackle them all together near the mangroves and let the mosquitoes interrogate them for a few nights. Believe me in no time people would start talking and eventualy these bad boys and their assistants would be rounded up. While this is taking place the laws could be changed to include much stiffer penalties including the death penalty. You want to get serious about crime? You have to get serious about addressing it right now with extreme measures that people will take seriously…time to stop thinking about the human rights of these few terrorists and consider the human rights of those who respect the lives of others. AND get rid of the judges we have and start over Mr. Taylor…..all new judges with a two year term limit , no trials by judge alone and open the jury duty pool to all residents. Makes sense to me.
Anonymous 22:09, Obviously you dislike the crooks and gang punks as much as anyone, but you have gone overboard on your methods of controlling/catching criminals by treating everyone as a criminal. Who would want to live in a country under such conditions? I do agree with you on having a death penalty, though. That would sure cut down on the number of repeat offenders…….. and it's a lot cheaper than supporting murderers for the rest of their lives in prison!
It's time to go door to door in The District. You all know who these gangsters are so please round them up, lock em in a room and let them go toe to toe for a while.
It is funny to me how everyone keeps blaming the parents of these young people never taking a moment to think that the majority of them are drug addicts themselves. This problem started a long time ago when we allowed high school students to graduate withouth being able to read properly.
if they cant help themselves how will they be able to help their children?
These guys at the top are always calling meetings.! ..meetings here…meetings there….
set up a committe to deal with this…deal with that….
Enough with the planning to do something……..
Do something…NOW..
They should do what they do in Singapore.
Bring the thieves, gangsters and crooks to the town square… and then beat them with a large bamboo rod.
Do it. DO IT.
Was'nt Singapore a former British Territory?
If they had stayed with their colonial status they may not be able to do that?
His Excellency the Governor:
Would you please start by either bringing in the US anti-gang unit and/or giving the RCIPS some guns because no police officer should be going to a gun fight with a baton? The only thing they can do with that baton is dance. Yes, dance to avoid the bullets.
After that, it's time to work on proper role models for these neglected children. They need proper adult supervision.
doh the police dont rockup at a gun battle tey arrive after to clean up the mess.
Mr. Governor , I think it is high time the rhetoric stops and the real issues get addressed! INITIATE A MANDATORY CURFEW IN WEST BAY. STOP MEETING TO PLAN ANOTHER MEETING AND DO SOMETHING. IF YOU CANNOT LOCATE THE "WANTED LIST SUSPECTS" PRESSURE THE FAMILY, FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES OF ALL THE MURDERED VICTIMS. XXXXX
Get rid of the dead weight police officers as well as the people in authority who seem to have no interest in the country or the situation . I am tired of seeing incompetent representatives/inspectors etc etc, on TV who have limited command of the English language in positions they would not have in any other part of the world. We need competent individuals in our Police force who are not in positions because of how long they were in the service but rather are in the positions due to their competence. A clean sweep needs to be done from the top to the bottom including the most senior. This is my country I have no where to go! I have no desire to leave my country . I came here by pain not plane.
What category do you fit in? Get the damn parents of these individuals! This situation did not just appear it has been festering for years! Get the girlfriends, friends, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and anyone else who contributed. Either you are part of the solution or you are part of the problem. Stop talking and initiate some action or get back on the plane that brought you here!
Who the cap fits let them wear it!
Governor Taylor,
I have waited for a sense of urgency from someone, anyone within the government, and finally, after five lives are lost, you step forward. Each one of these men fatally killed all have the same common denominator, no education, no father figure in their lives, no job, no sense of direction, no respect for law and order, and lastly no hope to ever believe that they can be ever be somebody in this current society. Government cannot reverse what bad parenting has caused over the years. Hopefully, this segment of the population does not destroy a country with so much potential.
Five? I thought there were three. If you are including the missing ladies we don't know what happened to them
Need top level policing instead of twidling your fingers all day in ac police car and looking pretty in a helicopter and regain confidence in the community by going interacting with people who ears are to the ground instead of waiting for people to come forward.
You obviously don't know the West Bay police, I suspect you don't even live there. Sitting around twidling fingers is one thing they have not been doing.
I live in the heart of the "Gaza" aint nobody come knocking on my door asking me anything.
After a multi-year nap, the slumbering Duncan Taylor has finally woken up.
Mr Taylor, you need to commandeer resources from the UK to quell this violence. You need to put some real pressure on your "chum" Mr. Baines. We need results!!!!
The recent gang violence in the UK showed the UK is useless itself with their feeble response.
We need to bring in the US experts. And second "Caymanian" policemen to the USA for at least six months to work with the relevant agencies that deal with such gangs. Then equip them with the tools such as guns.
Stop sending our police to the UK for training. It is useless.
Resources and UK don't go in the same sentence. They have no clue how to handle this type of thing. They couldn't do it in the UK the other day during the youth uprisings and had to bring in an American police advisor (former chief) to help them develop a strategy to bring this thing under control.
We will know the end is near if the English cops ask for help from the US and finally admit they are outclassed and outwhitted by these young thugs.
In the meantime we all (except for Bodden's and Churchill's funeral homes) suffer while these guys try on their 'tough cop' faces in the mirror.
Bring in the hell angels.
Reply to…Bring in the Hells Angels…
These boys are children at least in their mentality……They are killing without thinking about
the consequences
.These young punks don't know what a real gang member is like!!
Put them face to face with members of the Hells Angels …..they would…
''''you know what'' their pants…
I think you mean "Guardian Angels."
The Guardian Angels is a non-profit international volunteer organization of unarmed citizen crime patrollers. The Guardian Angels organization was founded February 13, 1979 in New York City by Curtis Sliwa and has chapters in 15 countries and 144 cities around the world.[1]
A lock down is a good idea. Removal from normal society into a real jail – where there are no privileges and no chance of probation are also good ideas. These young people need to see that there are SERIOUS consequences for breaking the law. The police need to be armed, and those that are aiding and abetting the criminals need to be put into prison too.
We can no longer sit by idly and allow these young caymanians to endanger the lives of our loved ones. Also, please stop acting as if there are no gangs outside of West Bay. Yes, alot of action happens there, but it is inconceivable that the gang population is limited to WB.
I miss the Old Cayman…..could leave my house wide open. Could leave money in my car with the doors unlocked and the windows open. Where are the old Caymanian ways?! 🙁
20:48 are you willing to foot the bill for keeping them in jail over and extended period. Do you know how much it cost for one year for a prisoner? Be careful what you wish for.
we could make it much cheaper by making them work on the roads in chain gangs, giving them plain food, no a/c, no tv, no phones. Make prison a deterrent, not a place that some of them go out and commit crimes so that they can sit around all day, not having to work, being fed 3 times a day and finish their education – if they choose. I remember after Ivan when pretty much no one had electricity let alone a/c – and guess who did have electricity and a/c? Yes, the prison. The hospital did not but the prison did. Now if that isn't ridiculous, please tell me what is.
Mr. Furriner,
My friend you are right on and have my support as a fellow "furriner" who assuredly brings positive to this Country through my work, morals and ethics. I too know gang violence via my home country of the USA, and your comments are well articulated.
Admittedly, I was a bit callous to the whole deal until I woke this AM and found that I had been broken into here at my home and have suffered a great loss in the things taken from me and my family. To those who came into my home while I slept and took from me, you indeed win this time however ultimately you will lose as I spread my story, tell my friends and slowly those of us doing good leave what we thought was this paradise that we were so happy to be apart of.
I'm so disgusted and feel so violated that thieves in the night came into my home, touched my things and only thank the Universe that my family was safely off Island last evening.
Congats again you thiefs and losers on your "win" maybe tonight you can spend my earnings on your BS but in the end you drive "your Country" into greater ruins by your actions.
I'm sorry Cayman, I have done good for you but it's time to go and spread the word that it's just not safe anymore…
You don't write like an American. Where are you realy from?
But wait – I thought last year the police were in favor of judge alone trials and wanted to change the law to accomodate those – so now we want to do the opposite?
No wonder we can't make head nor tails of anything around here – we have no clue what the real problems are and what really works!
"Furriner" 19:49 No thumbs-down from me, Caymanian and West Bayer (the latter is irrelevant in the broader picture) because you spoke it as it is. But I'm sure you experienced more within our justice system which you chose not to mention (professional ethics I sense – honourable). But you know the difficulties on the side of trying to address the issues you correctly defined from the correctional aspect. Yes, prevention is always better and examining and addressing why gang culture has evolved will always get to better results, with proper resources and plans. Getting to the root will always be the best solution but what if that's too late for at least one generation? The evolution of gang culture is not only a Cayman thing – it's global and generational.
The other side of trying to make our communities safer is through our justice system and it appears that is failing dismally, from the policing to the incarceration – and some processes in between. But I'm sure you've seen more than I could describe.
Our society as a whole has deteriorated, gone backwards in many ways, and incompetence has been running our country for 30 years. This is what we pay for the ear which we embarked upon then. It has to take an educated and sociallly responsible approach to change the tide, that would take 2 generations hence to show – if we're successful.
When drugs was flowing form Jamaica in the early 1970's and gang were being formed in the schools, the Ministster for Education – Truman Bodden said, 'there were no gangs, they were groups', and today we have those groups. If those groups were dealt with then, we would be in a better position today to deal with them. Back in those days, most of the elites thought that the groups would not affect them today, which has proven them wrong. Certain politicians are constantly writing about what they see that is wrong now but when they were behind the wheel they did nothing to correct the problems that were festering back then.
The problem has escalated to what I would term drug war. We are not cultivating, producing or manufacturing drugs here. Went they catch those canoes loaded with drugs, scuttle them in the ocean and stop bring in them to our shores, because the justice system will only give them a slap on the wrists and they are off to continue their trade. Too many familiy members are encouraging their relatives inthe trade, for easy money, which in the end cause them to lose their lives. It is very sad but that is the root cause of the gang voilence.
Why the hell are we beating ourselves up over this? These little shit gangsta wannabe losers are going to ALWAYS find ways to go behind everyones's back to kill their enemies. It's part of their excitement in a life of boredom stemming from no parenting. Let's relax and let them deal with their problems.
Sounds cruel but you are so right.
Suggest next time you use more appropriate language, and instead use Shyte.
Let me guess…the Governor will ask a lot of questions, the Premier will use a lot of big words in the wrong order, the Attorney General will utter five-word sentences whilst checking his Blackberry, the DPP will blame witnesses and the police, and the Commissioner will say the money hasn't kicked in yet.
The Governor actually needs to meet with:
– an educated backbencher
– an independent lawyer
– Crown Counsel
– a Detective Chief Inspector
AND.. with law abiding West Bay residents!!
It is about time the governor stepped in, but simply pleading with the local population to start assisting the police is not nearly enough. The police, the clergy, the talkshow hosts, the premier and just about everyone else has already tried this. When are community leaders finally going to admit that simply asking for more help and begging people to "do the right thing" is not going to work. People are scared out their wits, and no-one is going to risk their life by coming forward under the current conditions.
It is obvious that the situation is completely beyond the capability of the existing government and police force. And there is no way that they can simply hire and train more locals which leaves one other option. They are going to have to bring in a large contingent of special UK forces and make a long-term commitment to clean things up. But even a larger police force can only do so much. And the jails can only hold so many criminals. There is something fundamentally wrong with the current Cayman culture that is allowing crime to escalate. I believe that it is a complex problem that includes a perceived lack of opportunity, attitude of entitlement amongst youth, lack of parental control, large contingent of single-parent families with absentee fathers (and resultant lack of good role models for young men), poor border and immigration control for both criminals and firearms, lack of political leadership, corruption in civil service, economic hardship caused by the downturn in the US economy and made worse by local policies which have discouraged long-term investment (e.g., rollover), and many many more.
So if you really want to do something positive, stop waiting for the government or the police to do something. We don't need another task force to study the problem. Send Governor Taylor a letter of support for declaring a state of emergency in Cayman, and demand that the UK send in emergency forces to immediately to tackle the problem. Do what they did in New York city when crime was out of control. They doubled the police force in a very short period of time, and starting rounding up all criminal operations. Then the more complex social issues can start to be addressed.
This is probably the best analysis yet written of the challenges facing the Cayman Islands.
What a surprise, the Premier is overseas on business …yet again! With all the violence I suppose everyone in West Bay would be happy to go away on the pretense that it was good for the country if they didn't have to pay for it.
I hope that they will also be discussing the ongoing investigation on the premier because that is also of national importance. They may as well kill two birds with one stone!
If it takes the Police 2 years to investigate the Premier, how many years is it going to take for them to invesitgate the gang violence? That is what Duncan Taylor should also be addressing,but he is very mute on that issue. Time for you, to get with the flow and let the people know, why it is taking so long to finalise the INVESTIGATION OF THE PREMIER.
First step.
Mr. Taylor all is takes to start is curfew! We need them off the streets!
can someone please explain to this country why there was not one single leader, police, a foul, anyone who addressed the people this weekend?! Now unna answer that?! People were feeling helpless and scared and not one single leader that we elected in west bay or anywhere else said a word!!
This my friends is a crying shame!! No more said. 2013 can't come ya fast enough. Know wha unna do…mess with me on ya. I just put on a lil kettle of wata for some blue mountain brew.
My people suffering and not a word…can you imagine our trial ya man. Shame shame shame!!
You can't have your cake and eat it too, this comes with being a UK Crown Colony. Governor is responsible for internal and external affairs and that includes policing matters.
Think Big Mac business about the governor….. He having an awesome time in China!!!!!
Good old news Gov. But I have little confidence in the RCIPS. Gov here are a few suggestions:
1. Change the laws that give the JUDGE ALONE the ultimate authority to judicate cases;
2. Put the CI on a 12 hour lock down;
3. Call in a veteran force of cops that can deal with gangs and go from house to house during the lock down and run out the criminals;
4. if the cops meet resistance arrest, interrogate, and look up resistors,
5. Use dogs that can sniff out the criminals and weapons;
When all criminals are brought to justice, send them to a PRISON in south america more specifically Mexico, Peru, or Bolivia.
Only then we will be safe and Tourism and investors will continue to believe in Cayman.
Whilst it is admirable that the Governor has called this meeting I venture to suggest that he,and the RCIPS are in no real position to influence the outcome of what is to come. There are some fundamental issues which need to be addressed in Caymanian Society. I have spent two years working within the governmental criminal justice system and nearly two years on the outside and I believe that I am qualified and informed sufficiently to be able to comment upon the current issues.
That which is occuring in west bay is due to some fundamental cultural and economic divides within the community which is able to call itself Caymanian. Forgive me for making this so, but this is fundamentally a Caymanian issue. I am a "furriner" but as someone who has worked in the criminal justice system for 18 years it really matters not whether I come from Cayman or England. My views are relevant to the debate.
There are those who have in Cayman and those who have not. Those who have not come from families who though they love them have neither the time nor the parental skills to instill values, fear of authority, and an understanding that hard work is what is required to have the "tings" in life which they desire. They see the easy life, the one which gansta existence brings. Guns, bitches, fast cars and easy money and most of all respect.
What people fail to understand about gang culture is that above all else it is a a feeling of understanding and belonging and respect they get from their fellow gang members. That is a feeling that they have not had from their family unit.. Instill that in children and a pride in what they have so that they will not wish to lose it, and you will have the start of the end of gang culture. I say the start because the socio-economic problems are much deeper; but instill in your child a sense of belonging, of respect and of constant support and then you can work on the other things and the children will not need to turn to gangs.
Gangs are the source of all of what is happening. Gangs are about the support of the bretherin sometimes in ways that you or I would see as trivial ie: killing because of a sign of disrespect to someone's gilfriend. But remember these kids have nothing else: no education, no future, not much intelligence and no hope. I do not condone this behaviour but blaming the police, the governor, the DPP or the Premier is not the answer. The answer is to look inside society at the reasons that the young turnto the gang as a source of support. That is where you will stop the behaviour. It will take a long long time.
In the interim those who can will arm themselves and commit heinous crimes. To solve that problem those who are NOT involved, ie not girlfriends, bretherin or the like must come forward and give independent inbiased testimony before the courts without fear of retribution because if it becomes the norm to do so then fear can no longer prevail in respect of giving evidence about matters which affect Cayman nationally and ultimately upon the international stage.
I anticpate that as a furriner I will get many thumbs down but in the end this is about enabling a youth who have turned to gangster"ism" because there is nothing else which interests or enables them.. I am not an apologist and those who commit criminal offences, who are convicted of them should be given firm and appopriate sentences. This problem is not confined to cayman but cayman being an island and one where so many know each other you have a unique opportunity to deal with it and keep this place free of that which so infects other societies.
What is so sad about this is that your voice of reason will be ignored by all the people who should be listening.
"I anticpate that as a furriner I will get many thumbs down".
It seems you anticipated wrong. Be careful you are not suffering from paranoia.
We need to get to the root of the problem. One of whichis – why are there so many guns on this small Island? Clearly, the guns are being brought into the country by boat. This is a problem that can be and must be addressed asap!
too late, time to let the rest of us have guns
Nero fiddled while Rome burned and McKeeva you only travelled and hired servants. The people of West Bay never going to forgive you for what is going on unless you show some spine and make sure that we get some new laws and some new police to end this NOW.
Everyone is always comparing Cayman to other countries, but takethis into account. In other countries where there are gangs usually the rival gangs don't know eachother. Here in the cayman islands, these young men knew each other, went to school with each other, played together when children. When they can take a gun to their ex friends and kill them in cold blood, I think Cayman has a bigger problem then they can deal with. The governor can plead all he wants, it is to late to get this under control. For the community to get involved, they will get themselves killed in the process!!!
I agree – and now they have a taste for killing, will they really stop when they have cleaned up their hit list? No, they will just find it easier to shoot you or me when they rob us, or shoot someone else because they dissed them. The fact that they can shoot down former school mates in cold blood is very very frightening. They have no remorse, no conscience, no consideration for the families of those they are killing.
Your Excellency, thank you. May I respectfully request that the agenda include various questions including
1. Why our laws which have severe penalties for gang membership do not seem to be enforced?
2. Why the maintenance law has not been enforced for a generation (I understand due to political interference) and whether that should be rectified as part of a longer term solution.
3. Whether there is any basis for the dienfranchisement of local youth (I am not making excuses for them, but should they really be competing with experienced expatriates for positions every other country reserves for high school students and less skilled members of any society?
4. What role an education system which is overcrowded (including because of an unplanned influx of non Caymanians) which continues to graduate students without even basic literacy skills, has to play?
5. Why so many young people remain on the streets with so many prior convictions, and why charges take
so long to be determined?
6. What role so called deadbeat dads play in this, and why the system does not deal with them effectively?
7. To what extent a failure of immigration policies has any role. We keep hearing all these youth are Caymanians. Is this true?
This society wants to help but feels powerless due to competing interests, and a lack of trust in the authorities to act promptly and effectively. Lawlessness is now so accepted across the community as standards have dropped dramatically. Please help bring them back, by force if necessary.
You hit the relevant nails on their head. We are now reaping what was sowed along time ago. Legislators denying we had gangs by use of semantics and a culture of sweeping under the rug anything that didn't allow for big MLA pay backs. Our youth were left for Rotary to salvage because there were bigger paying jobs that needed to be done. All of this was inevitable because of neglect.
Add to that 3000 unvetted grants of Caymanian status which by now have increased exponentially. Do we really believe we didn't benefit criminals from that insanity in 2003? According to many Jamaicans, known criminals from Jamaica are in our police force because they got Cayman status by putting their name on a piece of paper. No background checks, no period of residency required to test their character. Factor in their children who also came and only know a life of crime. And we really wonder how it got this bad this fast? We need to dig our heads out from the sand and accept that that one, misguided and irresponsible act 8 years ago changed the course of Cayman forever and today, we are reaping what we sowed. From the Governor to the AG and everyone who gave that mischief the proverbial nod – ALL of them – are responsible for the mess we now find ourselves in. So why are we now seeking their counsel? Please. Talk is cheap, confidence is gone and political correctness will kill us if we don't admit the error of our ways.
Message to those attending this meeting. We don't need more talk. We need you to pass some tough new laws to end this madness and keep these criminals off our streets permanently.
End business as usual for the criminals and those that help them.
Mr. Governor and Mr. Premier we need new laws to immediately change the behaviour of the criminals and those who help them.
Make it a legal obligation for people who have information regarding these criminals and their crimes to provide this information to the authorities. If they refuse send them to prison for obstructing justice. If people allow the thugs to use their houses and cars in anything illegal, confiscate their property. There is no downside for passively assisting the thugs and keeping quiet now and that has to change if our country is to survive.
Double the sentences for violent/gun crimes. Make sentences for violent crimes consecutive not concurrent.
Give the Prosecution Service the legal right to cut deals with the lesser criminals for lighter sentences if they turn in the bosses and other thugs. At the moment prosecutors and the police have their hands tied in trying to persuade criminals to turn on eachother.
End parole for violent criminals.
Reform Northward so that these thugs are afraid to go there.
Lock down and impose curfuews in the areas they live and congregate in.
Mr. Commissioner, at the moment the criminals have more control on the streets than you do. Change that. Give the bastards some constant police presence to think about all day every day. Arrest them for loitering if they stop for 2 minutes and arrest them for every piece of paper they drop on the ground. Tell your officers to get their asses out of their vehicles and into the faces of these thugs.
These all exist already just not used.
Your Excellency, with respect, you Sir are the only one with the authority to surveil the in and outgoing calls of these perpetrators. Perhaps someone at the RCIPS could provide the current gang hierarchy and org charts from RCIPS and your team could set about using the executive powers at your disposal to direct warrant requests and local enforcement where they need to go. Digicell and LIME should be bending over backwards to assist in this crackdown.
zzzz
if they could harness all the hot air in there they could suffocate the gangs
your comment is idiotic. Give me a break. Why the heck to you suggest? You sound like a do-nothing, just complain type of person.
To all who participate in the meeting,place a curfew on the areas in west bay where the gangsters hang out front back and sideways coverage of the areas. Police in the areas 24/7 until something breaks like someone comes forth with evidence or a elimination process takes place. Let’s be certain of this if these boyswill shoot one another they will kill any one else,therefore the police must be able to defend themselves.
This is a very situation,so deal with it seriously all of you who have been summonses,the life you save may be your own.
None of these kids are foolish enough to shoot a uniformed police officer. They've realized that if they leave the police be and keep the collateral damage to a minimum they'll have more breathing room. If they were to murder a cop thee gang situation or at least the violence would be promptly and harshly put to an end in a matter of weeks. The "force" is disconnected from the community as a whole. Not to fault them as its human nature to want to belong to a group but until one of their members are killed it will not be a war.
I do not know who they are. If I did then the police would surely know.
I would like for those of you who know these young men to perhaps reason this out.
Would you rather your loved one to be in prison, hopefully learning a lesson and one day returning to society or DEAD.
You may think you are protecting them but you are mistaken. If this person, who you know, is involved in this level of violence it will come to prey on them or even (more sadly) those who are close to them (by proximity or relations).
Please do your sons, boyfriends, husbands, baby-father, cousin, brother, uncle or who ever they may be a favor and turn them in, you may save their live/s and others.
Do the right thing, its not always the easy thing.
Ummm… about damn time!!! I guess three lives is the attention getting price these days.
Shame on you all… and that includes the family and friends of these gang members… ESPECIALLY THE PARENTS! Congrats in holding Cayman hostage. You really should never ever complain about anybody or anything in these here Islands again. Just sit down and shut your pie-hole.
thank you. it's a start!
The UK itself brought in expertsfrom the United States on gangs, because they recognised they did not have the skills to manage them. Clearly we need to do the same.
I hope I dont see any more letters from Truman Bodden in particular in the papers because it is because of his denial that we did not have gangs that we are now at this stage.
There must be gangs outside of West Bay as well.
And where do we always hire our COP from?
Yep, the UK recent gangsta and gang violence a few weeks ago showed their soft policing tactics did not work. Yet they try the same tactics here.
Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results!
Yet we keep throwing more and more money down the drain at the same issues, but the techniques are still the same……… so what is this called?
We need to stop providing a free vacation for those who come here for RUM, FUN and SUN.
Wake up. Its time to work.
I do see and respect the point you are making here however, what transpired in the UK a few weeks ago was not the cause of "gang activity".
What we witnessed was a nation-wide break down of law and order via the young members of British society – across all racial, socioeconomic and cultural lines.
It was branded as "gang culture" by Britain's PM and politicians in order to make everything appear logical and clear to the general public and as a way to deflect attention from the obvious failures of generations of British government and administration.
I believe we ought to keep those failures in mind as we consider the neverending demands to adopt, implement and comply with the laws and customs of our "mother country" otherwise we may find ourselves in an even worse position in the future.
Mr Taylor, me thinks you and the Govt NEED to change or ADD some new laws that will have some REAL TEETH, then to go with that, we will need a LARGE Crime Sqad (not 25 more officers for crying out loud) to have officers on every street and residential area around this island, but MORE SO, IN THE FACES OF THESE THUGS AT ALL TIMES. If 'IT' even LOOKS like a thug, stop 'IT' and DIG IN to its life… find out about its background(employment and assests etc.) and how it has obtained its assets(jewelry, clothing, cars etc.)) JUST DIG-THE-HELL IN!!!
When all proves his assets/lifestyle is not supported legit'ly, then lock them down for suspicion then do some REAL investigation to build the court case. Let's get this garbage OUT of our society PRONTO!!! I am ALL TOO SURE that Baines could have a lot of these thugs/punks hung out to dry if they really USE THEIR BRAINS and 3/4 Million MORE in resources.
… for Heaven's Sake… I am nausiated just watching the IDIOCY that is just keeps CYCLING in our country every bleeping day. Time to WAKE UP!
The Governor awakes… A little late, but maybe he will prove it was worth the wait…
I have my doubts, but let's give him a chance…
Of course, he is calling on the ostrich crew to take action, so he has a tough fight… Mac and the Police have their heads firmly in the ground (or maybe up their …..) so it wil be tough to get the action he is now professing to seek…
The days ahead will be interesting…
At least Governor Taylor admits there is a gang problem; theprevious governor denied having a gang problem to keep the public order, Cayman has had numerous warnings and problem solving ideas.
The people need to stand up now and figure out what they want, another press breifing or a solution to the problem.
Finally!!! 3 Murders later – Now let's find a solution – start with a mandatory curfew in the meantime.
Could it be that they are planning on moving the DISTRICT line from the Ritz Carlton past the Gov's house and to the cemetary across from the Fire Station.
Ryan said he wants the Govt. to move the District Line because as it stands his hotel is in West Bay.
Now this is the country that money talks, and if you have some, you can talk all you want and get everything too.
The Governor should do what is best for this country and ask the Premier to step down. He is being investigated, how come everyone else has to step down pending the outcome of the investigation. I hope the Governor is not a chicken when it comes to the Premier.
a lockdown curfew of west bay is what is needed! Use the "gang law" and just put them all in jail for a few weeks.
I couldnt agree more. I have always thought that we need to have a curfew. All the same we need to read our bibles more, the winds of strife is here and it will only get worst. We now have a new breed of senseless guys out there that is not afraid to use their guns.
…………… Maybe put them all in onecell!……………………