Police will increase their presence in West Bay, following a rise in shootings this week, the latest of which occurred Wednesday afternoon.
In that incident, the RCIPS said in a statement Thursday afternoon, a house and a vehicle in the area were damaged after shots were fired around 4:30pm on Wednesday.
Police said no injuries have been reported.
Security council concerns
The spike in gun crime was the focus of the first meeting of the year for the National Security Council on 30 Jan. where it discussed “with concern” the recent murders and other violent incidents, a brief statement had said.
At that meeting “the importance of a coordinated strategy to combat and prosecute firearms offences” was also discussed.
Governor Jane Owen, as chairman, said, “The NSC fully supports the efforts of our RCIPS, led by Commissioner Kurt Walton, and our other law enforcement agencies as they work together to fight crime and ensure our home, these islands, remain safe for our families, our children and ourselves.”
Recent shootings
The RCIPS said, on Wednesday, officers had responded to a report of shots fired in the Birch Tree Hill area, West Bay.
Police said Firearms Response Unit officers went to the scene and several spent casings were found.
A crime scene was established around the area where the vehicle and the house had been damaged and that location was processed for evidence.
“The officers from the Firearm Response Unit remained in the district making checks and providing community reassurance following this incident,” police said.
This incident followed the discovery of a vehicle on Tuesday night in West Bay that was believed to have been used in another shooting incident in George Town on Monday morning.
Police said the vehicle was located at a residence and was subsequently seized.
Further investigations were carried out in the surrounding area, police said, including deployment of the police helicopter to asses for further evidence.
However nothing was found.
There have been concerns of gang-related reprisal shootings following the murder of Travis Alexander Ebanks last month.
The 29-year-old West Bay man was shot and killed on King Road in West Bay shortly before 4am on 21 Jan.
When asked by the Compass what was being done to address the spiraling violence, the RCIPS said, “A multi-agency approach to tackle gangs, involving the police and its partners, was presented at the recent National Security Council meeting on 30 January. Ongoing discussions, as part of an anti-gang working group, will take place to develop a holistic gang strategy”.
Spent shells
Meanwhile, in another firearm-related incident, police said Cayman Islands Coast Guard personnel recovered spent shells in the vicinity of the Duck Pond dock, located in the North Sound Estates area, Newlands on Wednesday.
Police said, shortly after 11am Wednesday, police and Coast Guard officers searched along the coastline at the dock after reports of shots being fired in the area.
During their search, the Coast Guard team recovered a number of spent shell casings, which were handed over to the RCIPS for forensic processing.
That matter is currently under investigation.
Meanwhile, in the George Town incident on Monday, police said, several spent casings were recovered at a location near the junction Eastern Avenue and Shedden Road which caused damage to a nearby building in that area.
Both incidents are being investigated by the police and anyone with information is encouraged to call the West Bay Police Station on 949-3999.
Anonymous tips can be provided directly to the RCIPS Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777, or via the police website.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously via the Cayman Crime Stoppers website.
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