While there is no doubt that Cayman is among the safer places to live, in recent weeks there have been reports of incidents ranging from stalking of female joggers to drinks being spiked, raising concerns for women in the community.
The most recent incidents happened on 3 Jan. within minutes of each other in the South Sound area, in which one female jogger escaped serious injury following an attack and the other was stalked by her would-be assailant.
Community worried, plans for pepper spray
Though a 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with that attack, women in the community say the incidents were unnerving.
For Shirley Nicoletta, those stalking episodes hit home, since they happened in her backyard, as she lives off Old Crewe Road.
“I think it’s alarming that this is again the current narrative for women and our society in Cayman. I grew up in New York and looking over your shoulder was second nature, a sad systemic reality, that was the norm. I worry incidences like this suggest we may need to adopt that same mindset,” she told the Cayman Compass via email.
Nicoletta said she walks her dogs in the area and, while she does not plan to make any changes to her schedule, she “will be looking over my shoulder and out for others”.
“It’s always shocking when it happens to anyone,” she added.
Infrastructure Minister Jay Ebanks expressed concern over the incidents, vowing to take legislation to Parliament to allow women to carry pepper spray.
“No woman or person should be in fear to walk the streets of the Cayman Islands.”
Jay Ebanks, Infrastructure Minister
“It is the government’s job to protect its people and provide a safe environment for them. No woman or person should be in fear to walk the streets of the Cayman Islands. I plan on seeing that we make the necessary changes to allow women to protect [themselves] by carrying pepper spray and see that we bring stiffer penalties for such [crimes],” Ebanks told the Compass.
Legalising pepper spray a longstanding issue
Back in 2011, Red Bay MP and former Premier Sir Alden McLaughlin, then on the Opposition benches, brought a successful motion to legalise pepper spray, but no accompanying legislative changes progressed to the House.
Eight years later, then-North Side MP Ezzard Miller renewed the call for pepper spray. The legal framework for such a change has to be initiated through legislative means.
Reports of assault taken ‘very seriously’
While the recent events are concerning, Deputy Police Commissioner Kurt Walton said that the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service will not tolerate any act of criminality, especially anything inflicted on women in the community.
“In regards to violence against women, or sexually motivated assault in general, this is unacceptable and is never the victim’s fault. As a police service, we work fervently to apprehend the perpetrator, while at the same time, collaborating with our partner agencies to provide victim support services,” Walton said via email.
He pointed to the latest incidents, saying, “we take reports of assault of this type very seriously, as was seen in our swift response to the recent incidents in South Sound. A man has been arrested and investigations continue on this matter.”
The RCIPS has also issued tips and information on various public safety topics, including how to stay safe when out exercising, with uppermost advice being not to run alone and always be aware of the surroundings.
Runners change behaviour after assault report
Runner Karen Bomford was the first to assist the victim who was attacked in South Sound.
She said the first thought when she came across the injured woman was her welfare.
“Was she okay, how seriously hurt was she? My concern was getting her the help she needed and staying with her until the police arrived. Subsequently, and thinking over the incident, I was quite angry that what I have always considered to be a very safe morning walk or run (due to the high volume of other walkers, runners, cyclists and even motor vehicles) this incident was now causing me to re-think my safety and possibly change my morning routine,” she said.
Since that incident, Bomford, who was the first to post about the attack on social media before an official statement from police was released, said she leaves her home two hours later than she normally would to exercise.
“Unfortunately, while I’d hope nothing like this would happen so close to home, it did bring back memories from a few years ago when something very similar was happening near Smith Cove/Dart Park,” she added.
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