Headline News
Cops arrest teen after shots fired at East End home
(CNS): Updated Monday 11:30am — Police have now arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with the shots that were fired at an East End house on Saturday. The property was damaged by bullets fired by one or more gunmen during the early hours of the morning. An RCIPS spokesperson said that they had arrested the teenager on suspicion of possession of an unlicensed firearm after a police operation in East End on Saturday night. According to the police report, at around 2:40am on the morning of 12 February shots were fired at a property along Sea View Road, East End, but no-one was injured. Other sources told CNS that three shots were fired at the house and at least one was fired through the windows. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
Police said that enquiries are continuing into the incident and the suspect remains in police custody.
PPM set to make history
(CNS): The People’s Progressive Movement is set to make history on Saturday evening when it becomes the first political party in the Cayman Islands to transfer leadership. The current leader of the opposition and founder of the PPM, Kurt Tibbetts, will be stepping down at the extraordinary conference, which is open to all, and passing on the party’s top job to Alden McLaughlin, who has been nominated by the party and stands unopposed. The PPM is opening the doors of the conference to everyone and not just its membership or party faithful as it says goodbye to Tibbetts. The new leader to be says as “the government in waiting", the opposition has a message for the whole country and not just its long-time supporters. (Photo Dennie WarrenJr)
McLaughlin says that the change in leadership is not about changing the core principles on which Tibbetts founded the party, but he said he would be spelling out a new vision in the wake of the 2009 election loss and expectations for the 2013 vote.
“While the core principles on which the party was founded remain sound, the PPM needs a new approach and we have to regain the reputation for being a party of vision and inclusion,” the George Town MLA said on the eve of being crowned opposition leader.
He explained that he needed to spell out the relevance of the party and of party politics, which he said was not new to Cayman as at almost every election since the 1950s candidates had run in alliances or teams of some kind. “It’s not party politics that people have had enough of but the politics of the parties,” he said, adding that was the issue that needed to be addressed. McLaughlin said the conference would reveal how the party would regain the people’s support.
Most people in Cayman, McLaughlin said, outside of the UDP’s direct patronage were worse off today than they were two years ago. Having said that, however, the heir apparent to the opposition leadership said that did not mean the country would automatically switch to the PPM at the next election.
Despite the failure of the government to kick start the economy and the concerns about the government ignoring the rule of law, he said there was a still considerable amount of work to do to look at where the PPM had gone wrong and what it had to do going forward to be in a position to take office at the next election.
He said the party conference was an opportunity for the country to see democracy in action and political process as it should be. “Change was an important part of stability,” he added, as he called on everyone to come and see for themselves how the PPM would be moving forward and changing some of the perceptions people have about the opposition party’s position on a number of issues.
The national extraordinary conference will take place on Saturday evening at 6pm at the Mary Miller Hall and is open to all. Everyone is invited and people do not need to be party members or voters to attend.
Robber tries stick up at KFC
(CNS): A man armed with a gun attempted to rob the KFC in Shedden Road, George Town last night but got away empty handed. Police said that at about 8.20 on Thursday night a man armed with what appeared to be a firearm entered the takeaway restaurant and pointed the weapon at staff and demanded cash from the till. When it was explained that they did not have the key to open it the would be robber ran from the premises. No property was reported stolen, no shots were fired and no-one was injured in the incident, police confirmed.
The suspect is described as a male 5’6" tall, slim build, about 30-35yrs old, dark complexion and short shaven hair. He spoke with a mix of Jamaican and Caymanian accents. He was wearing black pants and a black shirt. His face was covered by a dark coloured bandanna.
Anyone with information about this crime should contact George Town CID on 949-4222 or Crime Stoppers 800-8477 (TIPS).
Miller aims for basic wage
(CNS): The country’s only independent representative in the Legislative Assembly is making another bid to try and introduce a minimum wage by asking for a change to a proposed amendment to the Labour Law. Government is intending to bring an amendment to the existing bill to remove the current limits on severance, retirement and compensation. Although Ezzard Miller says he supports the changes, he is requesting that government take the opportunity to add a minimum wage to the bill as well. Miller has made a number of previous attempts to introduce a minimum wage but has so far failed in his efforts to get it onto the statute books.
The North Side representative, however, feels strongly that the country needs a minimum wage to stop the exploitation of foreign workers, which in turn prices Caymanians out of the job market at a time when unemployment is rising among local people and the social ills directly related to that are increasing.
“We have to have a minimum wage,” Miller stated. “It is one of the issues that is keeping Caymanians out of employment as only those from overseas who are living in cramped conditions, sharing rooms and remaining silent about the exploitation are able to manage on these very low rates being paid by some employers. Locals have responsibilities here to look after their families, so they can’t survive.”
Although there is still opposition in the business community to the idea of a legislated minimum wage, he said there had to a be a line drawn about the basic amount below which it was unacceptable for anyone to work.
“The country must recognise that there is a point below which it is unacceptable and it essentially becomes slavery,” Miller added. He said he felt that the legal minimum to begin with should be CI$5, which he acknowledged was still not very much but when employers were paying less than $3 in some cases it was a starting point for offering some kind of protection to workers.
He said most nations now accepted that there was an absolute minimum for all workers and that introducing the basic rate of pay should be across the board and not different levels for different sectors. “There is a point at which no employer should ask a person to work in any professions for any less and that should be five dollars,” he added.
Miller will be tagging on his amendment to the Labour Amendment bill 2011, which currently focuses on removing limits on severance pay and other workers compensation awards to provide one week’s salary for each yearworked, no matter how long they have been employed, removing the current twelve week limit.
Previous attempts by Miller to have government introduce the minimum wage have included amendments to the penal code to make paying less than $5 per hour a criminal offence and to the immigration law to prevent work permits being issued to employers for any post that pays less than $5 per hour.
The members of the Legislative Assembly are expected to return to parliament on 21 February where they will, among other issues, be debating the above amendment, the money services and the evidence amendment bills, as well as formalising this year’s extra public holiday to mark the wedding of Prince William to Katherine Middleton in April.
Crime ‘intolerable’ says Bush
(CNS): Following the robbery of two visitors to the Cayman Islands on a secluded beach in the district of East End on Monday lunchtime, Premier McKeeva Bush has expressed his outrage over the assault and revealed that the crime prevention strategy will be considered by Cabinet next week. He said the strategy was expected to address the “this intolerable situation” regarding crime. In an official statement released by his office, Bush, who is currently in the United Kingdom, revealed his concern about what he said was an unacceptable rise in the type crime that could do irreparable damage to the country.
"I am deeply concerned to learn that a vacationing couple have been the target of a senseless robbery earlier this week. Like the rest of the community, I am outraged by this assault and cannot begin to understand the mentality of persons who would commit such unwarranted acts against others,” Bush said in the statement released on Thursday afternoon.
“The rise in crime is unacceptable, especially since such attacks by thoughtless individuals are capable of doing irreparable damage to our tourist industry, our economy and our country. As such, this government fully supports His Excellency the Governor and the commissioner of police in whatever actions they deem are necessary to take to address criminal behaviour and restore the peaceful and harmonious way of life we rightfully expect in our beloved Cayman Islands,” the premier added.
Cabinet will be considering a Crime Prevention Strategy next week, he said, which has been developed by the National Security Council. “It is expected that this strategy will provide a comprehensive approach to reducing this intolerable situation. Further information will be released to the public from both the National Security Council and the Commissioner of Police shortly," Bush noted.
For some time now the wider public has been asking the government and the premier to directly address the question of crime, with people asking for a national policy to deal with the surge in violent crime.
The strategy, which has been formed through the National Security Council under the guidance of the governor, is believed to focus on a more long term wider approach to tackling the deeper social causes of crime rather than the day to day issues of crime as it happens, which is in the hands of the RCIPS.
Some 64 armed robberies took place last year, many of which have yet to be solved, and seven robberies have already taken place since the start of 2011 — the incident at Barefoot Beach on Mondaywas the seventh robbery. There have also been a number of reports of bag snatches taking place at the Royal Watler Terminal in George Town from visiting cruise passengers, though none of these have been confirmed by the RCIPS.
More than 135 comments were made to the CNS website in relation to the report about the visiting couple who were attacked on the beach in East End, many of which expressed concern about the negative and possible long term damage this type of crime would have on the tourism sector. The victims also related the incident themselves on their own web-blog.
Police are currently investigating the robbery, in which the three men got away with only a few dollars cash, but as they left the couple on the beach after the assault, they smashed open their rental car and stole an expensive underwater camera.
The police say one suspect was approximately 17 years old, 5 feet 7 inches in height with dark complexion. He was wearing a knuckleduster and a dark blue NBA jersey. The second was about 5 feet 10 inches in height and approximately 165 pounds, wearing short pants and carrying the baseball bat. The third was said to be about 6 feet in height, approximately 165 pounds and wearing a white shirt and short pants.
Barefoot Beach is located off the Queens Highway on the northern coast of Grand Cayman in a remote but very attractive, location. Police said it was extremely unusual for an incident such as this to take place in the area but patrols there would now be increased.
Financial cops recover high quality fake cash
(CNS): Following the recovery of a small number of fake CI and US notes by the RCIPS Financial Crime Unit officers are asking the public and the business community to continue looking out for counterfeit cash. Police said that since the beginning of the year a small number of CI $10, CI$100, US$50 and US$100 have been found in circulation some of which are better quality than notes recovered in the past. Detective Constable Adrian Neblett of the Financial Crime Unit noted in particular that the Cayman Islands $10 looked very real.
“The quality is so good that, to the naked eye, they look real. The metallic strip in these newer notes is much shinier than we’ve seen in previous forgeries,” he said as he urged the business community and members of the public to spend a few extra seconds checking all notes – in particular the presence of the watermark – that come into their possession.
“Remember, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority has confirmed that if you are in possession of a note that’s found to be fake you will not be compensated, so those extra few seconds spent checking the cash could prevent you losing out financially,” the officer said.
Anyone who receives a counterfeit note, or suspects one to be counterfeit is advised to observe the description of the person passing the note, as well as that of any companions. Police say the notes should not be returned to the passer if possible. Instead, initial and date the white border of the note then tag the note with a copy of the transaction receipt and call the police.
“If you have counterfeit report forms issued by the Financial Crime Unit, obtain as much information as possible from the person passing the note and write it on the form. DC Neblett said.
“There are situations where people are not sure whether a note they have is counterfeit or not, so they take it to the bank to deposit it. Unfortunately, once a counterfeit is mixed with other notes, most of the evidence that could assist the enquiry is lost. That’s why any suspect notes should be tagged with the transaction receipt, placed in a protective covering such as an envelopeand set aside for verification by the Financial Crime Unit. Please also ensure that any video footage showing the transaction is also set aside,” he explained
The RCIPS form for reporting counterfeit money can be found on the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) website www.cimoney.com.ky under “Currency.”
Anyone who wants further information about how to identify counterfeit currency, or how to spot real notes from the fake one’s, should contact the RCIPS Financial Crime Unit at 949-8797. Officers will be happy to arrange relevant workshops for business managers and front line staff.
Bosses fined for not providing health cover
(CNS): Over the last two months three local bosses have been fined by the courts after failing to provide health insurance cover for their workers. The cases brought by the Health Insurance Commission have all resulted in $750 fines or potential short prison sentences after the employers pleaded guilty to the charges. These cases were all started before government amended the law which deals with the mandatory provision of health cover by employers last October but in future fines for the same offence could be as much as $40,000. Superintendent of Health Insurance Mervyn Conolly said the successful prosecutions should serve as a reminder to all employers about their obligations under the law.
Last month, Treva McIntosh of Archie’s Disco, Bar & Restaurant was fined $750 on four charges totalling $3000 total to be paid in two months or four months imprisonment and Lisa Kandler of Crewe Road Esso was fined $750 to be paid in two months or two months imprisonment by Magistrate Nova Hall in the summary court after the bosses pleaded guilty to the charge of “failure to effect and continue standard health insurance coverage for employees”.
This month Magistrate Margaret Ramsey-Hale fined Jerrilyn Rankine-Gordon of The Party Mart Ltd $750 also to be paid in two months or two months imprisonment.
Conolly said he was satisfied with the outcome of these cases but the department was working behind the scenes to improve health insurance coverage for all workers.
“With the recent amendments to the law the future fines that can be applied to these violations were significantly increased from $5,000 to $30,000 on summary conviction and fines of $40,000 on conviction on indictment – up from $10,000,” he explained. “I therefore hope that the recent rulings by the Magistrates will serve as a reminder to all employers that it is important to make sure they adhere to the requirements of the health insurance legislation.”
As a result of The Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2010 fines have substantially increased so any legal cases started after 15 September will face significantly higher penalties which government hopes will act as a real deterrent.
Mark Scotland the health minister who brought the amendments to the law stated in the Legislative Assembly that the Health Insurance Commission had recorded numerous complaints by employees that their employers were deducting health insurance contributions from their salaries but failing to maintain the policies. The increase in fines he said would “send a firm message to make it more clear that it is unlawful to make these deductions from an employee’s salary,” he added.
Electrician burned in panel box explosion
(CNS): A 40-year-old electrician was taken to hospital suffering from burn injuries following an explosion in a panel box on which he was working on Wednesday. The industrial accident occurred at the Marriot Hotel on West Bay Road at around 2.15 pm this afternoon. The man, who is employed by a local electrical company, was carrying out some electrical inspection work and as he was completing the inspection an electrical panel box exploded. Police said that emergency services attended the scene and the man was taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital suffering from burns to his hands, arms and face.
The man is currently undergoing treatment and police stated that enquiries into the incident are ongoing. The explosion comes less than two weeks after a major explosion at Grand Cayman’s power company’s plant when two workers were also burned, one of whom remains in critical condition in hospital in Miami.
Appeal goes out for searchers
(CNS): As the search for Anna Evans, the 37-year-old landfill worker who has now been missing for 14 days, continues, the president of the Cayman Islands Civil Service Association is calling on every member of the public sector to join in a coordinated mass search effort this weekend. The family and friends Anna are organising a search party, which will be leaving from the Old By-Rite’s Building off Walker’s Road in front of the Texaco station. The search party will commence the manhunt at 7;00 on Saturday morning 12 February. Yesterday police distributed a poster of the missing mother in the hope of triggering recollections. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
“I invite as many of you as is humanly possible to render your assistance in the search for our colleague and our friend, Mrs Anna Ebanks-Evans,” said James Watler. “I urge you to join the search as we are deeply saddened to know that our colleague and friend is still unaccounted for. CICSA wish the family God’s blessings throughout this very difficult and trying time.”
Anyone wishing to participate is asked to be there for a prompt start, prepared with proper walking shoes, hat, gloves and long sleeves as well as long pants as the terrain may be a bit rough.
Anna was last seen at the George Town landfill site around noon on Thursday, 27 January, and despite an extensive manhunt there has been no sign of the mother five. Police said Wednesday that officers will be approaching staff in gas stations, supermarkets, schools, government buildings and commercial premises to encourage them to display the posters in prominent positions.
“We are extremely grateful for the support and the help provided by the public so far in the search for Anna,” said Acting Superintendent Richard Barrow. “Since Anna disappeared the community spirit demonstrated by people throughout the Island has been absolutely outstanding. We need that support to continue as we try to find answers for Anna’s family and establish what led to her disappearance on 27 January."
Barrow explained that the poster may trigger some recollections from the wider public. “That’s why this poster campaign is so important. We hope that by having Anna’s picture prominently displayed in public places throughout Grand Cayman it may jog someone’s memory, or encourage someone who has information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to call the enquiry hotline.”
Police have also asked the community to search land and out buildings on private property to help the RCIPS cover as much ground as possible. Officers confirmed that the search of the landfill has been completed and despite the assistance of specialist canine handles who have now left the jurisdiction there is still no sign of the missing mother of five.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should call the dedicated enquiry hotline 526-0911
No bill hikes says CUC boss
(CNS): The combination of the recent explosion at the power plant on Grand Cayman along with a major failure of a generator at the weekend will not result in any kind of new surcharges to customers, the president of CUC has said. Although the company has, and will be, investing in replacement equipment and significant repairs up front, affecting the company’s cash flows, Richard Hew says CUC is insured and will eventually be paid for the losses, so it will not be introducing a surcharge to cover any costs associated with the mechanical issues. Hew has also defended the company’s safety record, saying that despite the very risky business of generating electricity, in 45 years the explosion was the first serious incident at the firm.
Twenty-six-year-old Kurt Scott, one of the two men injured in last month’s explosion, remains in critical condition in hospital in Miami, CUC’s president and CEO told the media on Tuesday, while his colleague, 53-year-old Arney Ebanks, is out of hospital and on the road to a full recovery. Hews said Ebanks was expected to be back at work within the next couple of weeks.
CUC is continuing the investigation into the incident, along with the manufacturers and insurers. Hew revealed that once finished, the results of the investigation would be given to the relevant regulators and authorities but only a summary would be made public.
At this stage CUC is aware, he said, that the explosion occurred in the exhaust system when the engine was going through the start up process but he had no other details about the possible cause. He noted that there were numerous reasons why a generator might fail and cause an explosion and pointed out the dangers of the business.
“The electricity business has numerous risks with respect to health and safety,” Hews noted. “Electrocution, explosions, falls from height are all possible and CUC has always focused very heavily on minimising the risks and reducing the severity and frequency of accidents.”
The power boss said that it was in the company’s interests to do a thorough investigation in regard to the explosion and that nothing would be swept under the carpet as the company had to learn from this incident to improve methods and procedures.
Warning that there may be some power outages over the next two or three days as a result of the various maintenance issues, the president said no customers would be without power for more than an hour as any need to cut capacity will be rotated across the districts.
He said that at present the country’s peak demand was running at around 85 mega watts, but with several units out of commission, CUC currently only had a capacity of 95 mega watts and it needed to increase the gap between the two. Two units undergoing routine maintenance at present are expected to be back in action in a couple of days, taking capacity to over 100 mega watts, but the firm has decide to rent a temporary generator to increase the cushion of capacity.
“As an island we can’t just borrow from somewhere if we get a surge in demand so we need a significant cushion between the peak demand levels and our peak generating capacity,” Hews explained.
With three generators now out of use for what is expected to be a long period, Hew explained that the firm is likelyto incur significant costs as it works to repair the unit which exploded last month, the unit which failed at the weekend after a piston came through the engine, and another generator that failed in September and is still under repair. He explained that CUC is covered by its insurance for these machines but in the first instance the company would be paying for parts and work before the insurance firms paid out. However, this did not mean customers would see an increase in their bills.
Hew said the situation was not the same as what the firm experienced in the wake of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, when significant uninsured assets were lost. The president explained that it is not possible to insure equipment which is more than a thousand yards from either the main plant or a substation on any insurance market and this was the same for many power providers. In this case the generators affected are all within the CUC plant on Sparky Drive in George Town.
With further increases in fuel costs, however, there are no guarantees that bills won’t be increasing in the future, but the CUC CEO said that the company was hedging against major price increases as fears grow that crude oil could reach $100 a barrel, which he said would keep the fuel surcharge down.