Police begin election training

Police operations for the 2013 general election in May will involve 232 officers, Chief Inspector Patrick Beersingh said during a training session on Monday night. That number does not include Cayman Brac.  

The officers include full-time members of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, the special constabulary and auxiliary constables. 

Elections duties will be in addition to regular policing, Mr. Beersingh said. “We have to deal with the possibility of people using the election as cover for [committing] crime,” he said. 

Deputy Supervisor of Elections Orrett Connor said that police duties include not only Election Day, 22 May, but also Nomination Day, 27 March, and days appointed for mobile polling. 

In some jurisdictions around the world, police or miliary forces provide a presence at elections that can have an intimidating or calming effect, Mr. Connor said. 

Here in Cayman, “You are seen as a calming and confidence-building presence for voters and for polling officials. They know they can do their duty uninterrupted and, if there is a problem, you will keep order or restore order,” Mr. Connor said. 

Robert Bodden, Elections Office training officer, said that police officers take instructions from the presiding officers at the polling stations. 

He also explained that the Elections Law specifies who may be present inside a polling station during voting hours. Permitted persons are voters, election workers, candidates, one agent for each candidate, the police constable, and “such field officers, logistics officers, emergency personnel and observers as may be authorised in writing by the supervisor”. 

Mr. Bodden said it was “still in the air whether we will have observers or not”. 

Along with the uniformed police constable inside each of 46 polling stations, there will an officer outside. Election Day starts at 4.30am, when police begin providing security for voting paraphernalia being moved to polling stations. After polls close, police are required to escort presiding officers with the ballot boxes from the polling stations to counting stations, and to storage vaults after the count. 

Mr. Beersingh described Election Day as the most complex operation police have because it involves officers at the polls, as well as transport and support for more than 25 hours. 

He is assisted with organisation by Election Liaison Officers Bill McLaughlin and Odale Mulgrave. Deputy Commandant Arthur McTaggart represented the special constabulary at the training session, held in the Mary Miller Memorial Hall.  

Monday was the first of 25 training sessions planned by the Elections Office. Sessions for candidates and their agents are set for 10 April and 6 May in Grand Cayman; 19 April and 3 May in Cayman Brac.