Successful holiday road safety operation

Thanks to a highly visible public service campaign, the RCIPS said it was pleased with the low numbers of traffic offences that took place over Christmas and New Year. Called Operation Winter Guardian, the plan to stop people drink driving over the notoriously dangerous Christmas period resulted in just less than 40 arrests on suspicion of DUI and just less than 250 motor vehicle collisions. However, more than 630 tickets were issued with offences including speeding, illegal tint and the use of mobile phones.

In addition to enhanced policing, to get the message out the RCIPS also partnered with the National Drug Council for their #ArriveAlive345 Campaign, undertaking media appearances, in particular promoting the use of special purple ribbon buses on New Year's Eve and New Year's morning. This resulted in a total of 2,142 people riding the purple ribbon buses in Grand Cayman, along with just less than 20 riding in Cayman Brac.

Acting Superintendent Brad Ebanks, who oversees both Specialist and Uniform Operations, said:

"We want to thank the National Drug Council and the Hurley’s Media Team for organising the Arrive Alive 345 Campaign and inviting us to be a part of their collaborative efforts. We also want to thank those members of the public who made a conscious effort to do the right thing by drinking responsibly and utilising the various options available for staying safe over the holidays, especially on New Year's Eve."

Most importantly, the RCIPS was pleased that, notwithstanding the death of a young man on Christmas Eve, there were no fatalities on our roads. Never-the-less, they did say that the continuing number of motor vehicle collisions remained a concern and a continuing priority.

Other crimes reported during the holiday period included: seven reports of burglary, one robbery, and 46 reports of minor thefts, a reduction in all three categories from the same period the previous year. There were also six reports of violent incidents at liquor licensed premises, including one serious assault, and one death as mentioned, which resulted in another man being charged for murder.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Kurt Walton, head of police operations, said:

"We are extremely proud of all members of the RCIPS and Special Constables who worked tirelessly and diligently to ensure that the holidays were safe and peaceful. We also thank our community partners and the members of our community that remained law-abiding and took the opportunity to utilise other modes of transportation to avoid driving while intoxicated."