The Chamber of Commerce is ready to take off its gloves and get down and dirty in the fight against crime.
The agency has called for a national rally against crime in the Cayman Islands at 5pm tomorrow on the Court House steps.
The rally will be an effort to literally take back the Cayman Islands.
The Chamber, along with the rest of us who call the Cayman Islands home, are tired of being the dog the criminal tail is wagging.
For too long, and especially after Hurricane Ivan last year, the genteel nature of this country has been chipped away at by the criminal element.
Basically criminals in the Cayman Islands aren’t afraid of reprisal.
There have been too many acquittals of serious crimes, including murder. Looting and lawlessness has gone unchecked.
Yes, our police force is strapped, both financially and in staffing. But that shouldn’t stop members of the police force from doing a proper job of gathering evidence and credible witnesses involved in crimes.
This newspaper’s offices have been broken into twice since Hurricane Ivan brought devastation to the country’s economy and psyche. Police response in both instances was disappointing. Fingerprints were not taken in a timely manner and evidence was left on the scene.
Our heart goes out to the police men and women who are doing their best to guard every resident and business in the Cayman Islands.
We know they face a huge task of trying to properly do their jobs while faced with increased accommodation rental rates and a general increase in the cost of living.
Crime is not just a problem for the police force.
Crime calls for a national effort that involves each and every one of us.
One of the easiest ways to get involved is through the Crime Stoppers programme. Calls are anonymous and if a tip leads to an arrest, a reward is offered.
The first step, though, should be taken tomorrow afternoon at the Court House to pull together a show of force against crime in the Cayman Islands.
The plea is coming from the Chamber and this newspaper.
The writer of the other letter on these pages is right; ‘To lose the confidence of your citizens is one thing, but to lose the confidence of the international community is an entirely different matter altogether.’
Not only is crime damaging to all of us, it is eventually going to gnaw away at the tourism dollar we all depend so much on.
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