RCIPS GETS TOUGHER ON CRIME SPIKE

By Staff Writer

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) says it’s intensifying concerted efforts to apprehend and bring to justice persons behind a recent wave of crimes, including armed robberies.

In its second press conference in just over a month underlying the gravity of the situation, Acting Commissioner of Police Kurt Walton, Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown and Superintendent Brad Ebanks reassured the public that the RCIPS that was leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to apprehend the culprits and bring them to justice.

The press update also followed a joint statement issued by HE Governor Martyn Roper, Hon. Premier G. Wayne Panton and Hon. Leader of the Opposition Roy McTaggart on

working together to combat the rise in robberies.

The RCIPS also recently briefed Cabinet and Members of Parliament on the current spike in robberies.

More than 32 armed robberies have been reported including firearms and bladed weapons since August with a further spike already noted in the Christmas season.

These robberies are said to span from attacks on retail and commercial stores to robbing people - including two instances linked to illegal gambling. The RCIPS also says it has identified a loosely associated group of suspects behind the crime spike who often operate in small groups of around four criminals and arrests have already been made in connection with recent robberies.

In the press update this past week leading up to Christmas Day and a peak shopping period, the Acting Commissioner of Police Kurt Walton reported that the RCIPS is deploying additional resources and specialist techniques to catch the offenders, including assigning more officers operating in both high visibility and undercover roles.

“We have taken extra measures…we have increased our armed units on the roads. We have twice as many armed units on the roads as we did previously. We have executed well over six search warrants in addition we have stopped and searched multiple individuals involved in suspicious activity. We have (reviewed) well over 1,000 hours of CCTV and seized six cars. It shows just what we are doing. It’s quite a lot of work to get where we want to get,” Acting Commissioner Walton stated on the efforts to date.

One person has so been charged in connection with the crime spate and is in prison on remand awaiting trial.

A reward totalling CI$100,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the band of criminals behind the current crime spike with the Government adding CI$75,000 to the CI$25,000 already offered by CrimeStoppers.

Commenting on the reward being offered, Superintendent Brad Ebanks, directly appealed to the relatives of persons involved in crimes to do the right thing and turn them in.

“My appeal is to the general public but also there are family members that know what’s happening here. They know that their relatives are committing these robberies. Do the right thing. Tell us. The Cayman Islands should not be continuing on this avenue where we are having multiple robberies at any time, especially this time of the year.

The RCIPS is also urging the public to be extra vigilant, report suspicious activities and more importantly to avoid entanglements with criminal elements.

Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown said the public response to their previous appeal so far is yielding results.

“We are getting information from the public. Since the last appeal, we’ve had a number of calls about suspects and suspicious vehicles. We’ve stopped and searched them, and the people we are stopping are on our list of a dozen or so ‘people of interest’. They are on our radar and we are being persistent. We are not going to keep looking at them overtly and covertly. There’s plenty of work going on, so the public can be assured that everything than can be done, we are doing.”

According to the RCIPS, more often than not the robberies tend to net about CI$500 but warned the perpetrators that when caught they risk spending up to seven years behind bars, raising the question: ‘Is it worth it?’