Information contained in a US Department of State travel website about the situation with gang activity in the Cayman Islands is not supported by intelligence from local police, a statement from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service on Tuesday indicated.
According to ‘country-specific information’ about the Cayman Islands posted on the website travel.state.gov, a service of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs: “In recent year[s], the Cayman Islands have experienced an increase in criminal activity involving Jamaican gangs, including gang and drug-related shootings.
“One such shooting, in February 2010, resulted in the death of a 4-year-old US citizen. Local law enforcement authorities are aggressively addressing these challenges, which affect the West Bay area, in particular.”
Information extrapolated from this report ended up in a news story last week written by United Press International.
Local police said they had no evidence of international gangs relocating to Cayman.
“There is absolutely nothing to suggest that Jamaican gangs are relocated to or operating in Cayman, not are we aware of any travel advisories issued by the US State Department re: crime in Cayman,” a statement from the RCIPS read.
The statement on the travel.state.gov site is not an advisory, but rather lists general information about the Islands for US citizens who are travelling here.
The site goes on to state: “The crime threat in Cayman Islands is generally considered low, although travellers should always take normal precautions when in unfamiliar surroundings. Petty theft, pick-pocketing and purse snatchings occur. A few cases involving sexual assault have been reported to the Embassy. Police in the Cayman Islands rigorously enforce laws against illegal drugs.
“The majority of arrests of US citizens in the Cayman Islands over the past two years have been for possession, consumption, or intent to sell marijuana, cocaine or other illicit drugs. US citizens should avoid buying, selling, holding or taking illegal drugs under any circumstances.”
The statement about the 4-year-old being shot is apparently a reference to the 15 February, 2010 shooting of Jeremiah Barnes at the Hell Esso petrol station. Jeremiah lived in Cayman with his parents, but it is possible he could have obtained US citizenship as well if he was born there.
With regard to international crime concerns, RCIPS Police Commissioner David Baines has said that most gang activity in the Cayman Islands appears to be locally driven.
However, that’s not to say local police don’t concern themselves with outside criminal activity, particularly drug transhipment.
“There are indications now that are suggesting that the Cayman Islands is being used as a hub for the supply of significant quantities of cocaine,” Mr. Baines said in late January. “The purity of the cocaine that we’ve recovered is about as pure as you’ll get. This is straight from the production areas, so we have got a problem with cocaine.”
It is a concern for local law enforcement on several levels, not least of which is that foreign jurisdictions have begun to look at the Cayman Islands as a potential supply centre, Commissioner Baines said.
“The fact that direct flights out of Cayman are being found to contain significant amounts of drugs … means that other law enforcement agents will be looking closely at us,” he said.
There were two significant seizures of cocaine in the UK last year; both involved direct flights from Cayman, Mr. Baines said. One shipment involved six kilogrammes of cocaine; another involved a shipment of 10 kilogrammes. Assuming the current street price per kilo in the UK to be $55,000, the larger shipment would have been worth a half-million dollars or more, police said.
Details of both cases remained scant, but the Caymanian Compass has since learned that a local customs officer was suspended in connection with one of the cocaine shipments. The officer’s ultimate status with the customs service has never been made public.
Later in the year, Mr. Baines said, 44 kilogrammes were recovered after the drugs washed ashore in East End. It is likely that those drugs came either from an air drop or a boat, the commissioner said. The drugs were burned at the George Town landfill days after their seizure.
“Those are just the issues that we have recovered,” Mr. Baines said. “It’s quite apparent to us that there’s increasing levels of cocaine available and being distributed on the Islands.”
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this is what i saw the Cayman Islands is not supported by intelligence from local police, a statement from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service on Tuesday indicated.
If the US says this is what is happening you better believe it
Governor Taylor,
This report does not look good at all for the growing reputation of the Cayman Islands where crime is concerned. RCIP Commissioner of police’s denial of the heightened level of high profile crimes occurring in the Cayman Islands does not change the situation. Denial of the truth does not necessary mean delays in International exposure of the real truth about what is really happening in the Cayman Islands. Therefore it is time for you as a responsible governor to step in, lead the way and employ the necessary qualified law enforcement to lead, reduce and control crime in the Cayman Islands.
Reality is that reports of crime at this level in the Cayman Islands is now reflecting the proper or improper use of intelligence entrusted in the hands of local law enforcement leadership and is the mirror that reflects bad governance. Sadly I pray that this was not the case of dear little Jeremiah Barnes. We need the governor to act differently and employ high level crime fighters
I think our local police force has long ago already proven to the Cayman community that they don’t have a clue whats going on!!!
Department of Customs: This is a shot across your bow from your counter-parts in the US. Man-up and take your job serious.. Failing a Navy, Army or airforce, you are it. Man-up and budget up to stop the infiltration of our border by drugs and guns. The US and the UK has interceptors out there stopping most of the heavy haulers you need to tighten your screen pattern and pick up more of those small infiltrators. RCIP you need to get your case file to a standard that is acceptable by a judge for a conviction. Whether you believe it to be true or not about the level of crime in Cayman, you rebuttal will not be shown on the state department advisory site, so it will be believed by their traveling public to be true. Cayman demographics have changed, so should the crime fighting tactics; This point to crime in Cayman also justifies your need to budget up and man-up.
So the only counter-argument the police have is that the gangs are not international (i.e. Jamaican).
I feel much better knowing that the growing crimewave is the work of good old fashioned Caymanian gangs!
And high level crime fighters does not include
beach bums, and vacationers.
Some hardcore well experienced law enforcement or those with some military background to declare war on these criminals who have declared war on the people of the Cayman Islands making life quite miserable for everyone.
Cayman is definitely in Denial. This is just one of a many warnings to US travelers regarding Cayman. There are warnings all over Trip Advisor as well as certain dive sites recommending people avoid Cayman due to increasing Crime and what’s considered to be Gang Activity. I who live in New Jersey constantly get questioned about the Island from people that know I own property and spend a lot of time there. I regularly have people come to saying what happened to Cayman it used to be such a nice place now I hear that it’s not safe to go there.
I personally think Cayman is one of the more safer places to visit although it’s obviously not as safe as it used to be, but you have to understand that people who don’t really know the island and are looking for places to vacation take these reports very seriously and rely on rumors and recommendations, unfortunately most of what’s said about Cayman lately is that it’s overrun with Criminal activity, the Government is torn and facing what outsiders think to be civil disobedience. There been a few editorial on CNN showing photo and Video of anti Government demonstrations, one I saw came on right after a bit on Libya, which just made it look worse that what it actually is, but this is what outsiders see.
Good luck Cayman, I certainly hope the people in charge get it together before it’s too late, but I know one thing is that they cannot do it without the support and help of the people.
We have been visiting the Cayman Islands for over 30 years and have seen them turn from a beautiful, peaceful, paradise into a scary place. We were robbed several years ago of hundreds of dollars in diving gear while enjoying your beautiful waters. I remember when we used to rent a beach cottage and never even locked our doors. I would be afraid to do that now. Don’t let your islands turn into what Jamaica has become. Don’t let gangs and thugs terrorize your citizens and tourists. If you can’t enjoy a night out dining at an upscale restaurant like Casanova’s without the threat of violence then it is past time to act to take back your beautiful island before it is too late!
We traveled to Grand Cayman many years in a row. It has turned from a quiet peaceful place to a place we no longer go.
For anyone, government or CTI to say it has no problems sounds more like a politician that someone who looks at the facts. Shootings, murders, robberies and assaults are happening all the time. Is it linked to outsiders? That is a job for law enforcement to find out. Don’t be so quick to write it off as a mistake by the US state department.
Why is it any different that the RCIPS are in denial about US govt info on the Cayman Islands. Sure wasn’t it only a few years ago that Govt here were in total denial about ‘Gangs’ in Cayman!!
We have an up hill battle to beat this current crime wave. Firstly increase the basic starting salary of Trainee Officers. A little over 25k a year isn’t even enough now to pay your electric bill!! So why would you want to put yourself in harms way.
Secondly, bring back Derek Haines in some senior advisor level. When he was one of the top RCIPS brass, we were reading about drug busts every week, not one or two a year!! He had great intel with other law enforcement agencies outside of Cayman. After his unceremonial dismissal from the RCIPS in 2005, what has happened with crime. Yes Bobo, its has gone out of control.
Last and by no means least, arm the police. Make it that little bit more difficult for the ‘thugs’ to get away. Show them that we mean business and stop this cancer NOW!
BT.
I agree with your last comment.
why are small businesses being hit? If they hit a big business next it will only be to steer the big thinkers off their crooked course.
Who is furnishing guns for these thugs to plunder and pillage local homes and businesses in the Cayman Islands.
Where is the offload port for these weapons? Could it behind somebody’s beach house and the police is looking the other way?
It is a very evil person indeed. The most pitiful part about the situation is that big shots in our society begged the people to vote for a disappointing regime that has shared the history of this huge surge in crime. It’s obvious they’re bad for the country and bad for the people. West Bayers and Cayman Brackers really need to change their voting habits and should be held accountable.Christians are now corrupt all for greed and love of money it is a disgrace, and very shameful.
WHY? ARE Local small businesses being hit?
WHO is bringing in the guns is it a BIG BIG HIGH UP SHOT THAT the RCIP ARE AFRAID TO ARREST AND IMPRISON?
The FBI AND THE US just need to come in and arrest and jail for life these bastards they’ve been wanting to get their hands on and trying to take us over completely with their money.
UNCLE SAM COME AND GET THEM!
Too many guns in the Cayman Islands now.
Something stinks here!
CAYMAN WENT
Watch that movie, BT there’s your answer, people will come to small islands and try to take over with their money, when they can’t have their way, they try to scare the communities, we think its just the thugs, no somebody is paying these thugs and buying guns for them to terrorize our communities and our people. Someone is sending a message, they want to take this island by force.
The US really need to look after their national security and pay attention to what is happening again in their back yard. Guns and drugs is a huge problem.
Commissioner,
What difference does it make if the gang activity is locally driven or internationally driven? You still have a problem. We have been visting Cayman for over 30 years because we have felt safe there, not any longer…. and we won’t be back until we do.