All across Cayman, residents who venture out on their assigned shopping days are almost certainly going to encounter police checkpoints and roadblocks.
The increased enforcement falls in line with government’s COVID-19 suppression and containment plan.
“The coronavirus is a global pandemic and it affects the lives of everyone… massive lifestyle changes are required,” said RCIPS Traffic and Roads Policing Unit head, Inspector Dwayne Jones. “As a result of this virus, there has been a new amendment to the Public Health Law, and under this new law it provides the police with the authority to carry out various vehicle checkpoints in regard to an established curfew.”
This week, police implemented a ticketing system to deal with infractions during Cayman’s soft curfew hours, from 5am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday. Jones said if officers intercept an individual who is breaching the ‘shelter in place’ or ‘soft curfew’ regulations, “then a ticket will be issued to that individual in regards to the breaches”.
Jones said the key difference between receiving a ticket and being warned for prosecution depends on which curfew is broken. A person who breaches soft curfew can be issued a ticket and fined from $250 to $750, whereas a breach of the hard curfew, in place from 7pm to 5am and all day Sunday, carries a fine of up to $3,000. Unlike with the soft curfew, breaching the hard curfew can land an offender before the courts, where they also could be sentenced to up to one year in prison.
Police Commissioner Derek Byrne reported Wednesday that, since the curfew regulations were put in place on 24 March, 285 breaches of curfew had been recorded; of that number 140 of the cases had been sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution which had issued rulings on 30 of these. So far, four people have appeared before the courts on curfew-breach offences, and one of those was sentenced to four months in prison.
Jones thanked members of the public for their cooperation with the restrictions, saying the majority were complying, but he noted there were still individuals who chose to run afoul of the law.
“We say to those individuals, please operate within the law, protect yourselves, protect the officers, and protect your environment; this will pass and let’s stay alive,” said Jones.
To man the curfews and patrol the streets, the RCIPS has received assistance from hundreds of officers from various uniformed services as well as its auxiliary constables.
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