Police weigh lawsuit over patrol boats

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is considering whether to sue the manufacturer of its Marine Unit patrol boats after what officials termed as design problems led to two of the craft being sidelined.

The issue arose in the Legislative Assembly’s Finance Committee when East End MLA Arden McLean asked about the status of the police boats, and noted the 65-foot Guardian had been seen docked at Barcadere Marina.  

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Brougham said there were some issues with vessels in the fleet, but that RCIPS was still planning about 60 per cent more marine patrols in the government’s upcoming budget year. The new fiscal year is due to start on 1 July.  

“There may be legal action in relation to two vessels we purchased, which were prototypes and have spent the majority of time out of the water,” Mr. Brougham told the committee.  

The Caymanian Compass spoke to Mr. Brougham following the committee meeting and he declined to state which two boats had been idled.  

In 2008, the RCIPS purchased five new marine patrol boats, which arrived on the Islands between late 2008 and early 2009. Prior to that purchase, the police service had only two patrol boats and three Jet Skis at its disposal.  

Mr. Brougham said the newly purchased watercraft were out of warranty and that the craft had been examined by US officials. He said the police service was assessing whether action could be taken against the manufacturers.  

“We have two ‘go-faster’ boats on primary patrol, but they are limited by the weather and the distance they can travel,” Mr. Brougham said.  

Despite the challenges faced with the two boats, Mr. Brougham said the Marine Unit had been quite successful in dealing with both water rescues and intercepting drug boats during the past year in conjunction with the RCIPS helicopter and Air Support Unit. 

In general, the police budget allotment for investigating and detecting crime has been partially restored from a $500,000 cut it received in the 2010/11 (current year) budget. Lawmakers propose to add about $120,000 to that service in the upcoming year.  

Funding for marine patrols has stayed about the same – despite a proposed increase in patrol hours. A large budget boost has gone for the RCIPS Air Support Unit. Funding for the police helicopter is expected to jump from about $900,000 this year to nearly $1.8 million in 2011/12.  

Budget documents reveal the police helicopter unit spent between 283 and 313 hours aloft in the past 12 months. The police hope to increase that to 380-420 hours in the next year.  

Caymanian Compass journalist Joe Shooman contributed to this report.