In fact, we can’t imagine anyone in the Cayman Islands who is having a better beginning to the New Year than our police commissioner.
On the front page of yesterday’s Caymanian Compass we reported the details of the daring daylight robbery and the derring-do of Commissioner Baines, but also on Page One was a story announcing that the commissioner had been named on the government’s New Year’s Honors List and would be receiving an Order of the British Empire (OBE) designation, following more than 30 years of policing experience (he began with the Lancashire Constabulary at age 16).
Immediately, some vindictive local bloggers took issue with the commissioner receiving an OBE, but his rapid response at the Diamonds International scene sufficiently silenced, at least temporarily, those who jeer anonymously from the sidelines. It was the quickest transformation from “media chump” to “people’s champ” we have witnessed in some time.
By chance, our Editor-in-Chief talked to Commissioner Baines socially on the phone over the holidays, and he shared that he was planning on having a quiet Christmas with family and, if circumstances didn’t dictate otherwise, a rather uneventful entry into the New Year. Of course, circumstances did dictate otherwise.
It’s been observed that some people run away from a fight – and others run toward it. Humorist Will Rogers once famously said that he “never met a man he didn’t like,” while NFL football star Lyle Alzado once less famously said he “never met a man he didn’t want to fight.”
Personally, we prefer a little more Alzado in our police; leave the Will Rogers sentiments to our social workers. Commissioner Baines, in our view, walks a professional path between the two.
To those who don’t know him, he may come across as a bit of an academician; not surprising since he is the best educated commissioner ever to serve in these islands. He has a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge, a passion for military history and a penchant for fine literature.
But those cerebral credentials might belie his street-level smarts. He took charge in the aftermath of the 2001 race riots in Oldham, Manchester, and later received high professional praise for his anti-gang initiatives in Salford, Manchester. Don’t underestimate the toughness of David Baines.
Reflect, for a moment, as we have, on the brazenness of the crime that Commissioner Baines interrupted. Three young men donned masks, armed themselves with at least one gun, and on New Year’s Day, just as thousands of cruise ship passengers arrived on shore, entered Diamonds International, reportedly put the gun to the head of a security guard, and then threatened everyone inside the store. They then smashed approximately 40 display cases, scooping up as much as $1 million in jewelry. Think of the mayhem. Think of the terror inside that store.
In coming days, we will publish more about the suspects, including their names – they will get no quarter from this newspaper – but for now, we would like to recognize publicly Commissioner Baines for his swift-thinking, swift-acting behavior on New Year’s Day and, not incidentally, for becoming Cayman’s most recent Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Related Videos
