Police Warn Against Assaulting Officers

The RCIPS has seen a recent increase over the last two weeks where police officers have been assaulted by members of the public while responding to calls for service.

The first such incident took place on West Bay Road in the vicinity of the Public Beach on 1 July, where persons were damaging property and officers intervened. A male officer, who was assisting a female officer, was attacked by another man who was not directly involved in the incident. The man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of assaulting police, and was later bailed pending further investigation. This matter is currently awaiting a ruling from the ODPP.

Two more incidents have since taken place, one on the 5 July in North Side, and the other on 9 July in East End. Both were of a domestic nature, when officers were assaulted by persons involved in the calls for service they were responding too.

"Assaults on police officers are offenses that are taken very seriously and will not be tolerated by the RCIPS", says Chief Superintendent Brad Ebanks. "Any violence against officers executing their lawful duties will be prosecuted and if convicted, persons face a fine of up to $5000 or imprisonment for two years, or both.

"Thankfully, in all these recent incidents, there were no serious injuries, either for our officers or the involved members of the public, says Superintendent Roje Williams. "We are encouraging the public to cooperate with our officers as we are here to help find solutions to issues, to keep you safe." We therefore urge the public to act with restraint and assist us in the "Making the Cayman Islands Safer".