A new prisoner detention centre is set to be constructed on Cayman Brac in the new year, Police Commissioner Kurt Walton has said.
The centre will be located in Stake Bay and is expected to be operational by the third quarter of 2025, Walton told the Cayman Compass following an email query on the facility.
Cabinet approved waiving planning permission for the construction of the detention centre, which will be used to house prisoners on the Sister Islands.
The capacity of the facility will be for two detainees and serve strictly as a “facility for police detainees, not illegal migrants”, a police spokesperson indicated.
A notice published in the Gazette on 11 Dec. stated that Cabinet has, “in the public interest”, waived the requirement for the RCIPS to obtain permission to develop the land in Stake Bay, “for the purposes of carrying out the development of detention facilities for the Cayman Brac Police Station”.
Walton said the Cayman Brac Detention Facility has been developed “to provide secure and suitable temporary accommodations” for individuals detained in Cayman Brac.
“This is necessary in order to support police operations as well as provides adequate support to court proceedings when held in the Brac, until persons can be transferred to Grand Cayman,” Commissioner Walton wrote.
The cost of the facility is yet to be confirmed as the RCIPS has said that the tender process is currently being reviewed, and “we are not in a position to discuss cost as yet”.
Walton said the establishment of this facility is a “critical step” in enhancing the security and operational efficiency of the RCIPS.
“This facility also supports the broader goals of maintaining public safety and improving detention standards. Ultimately, it reflects the commitment to modernizing and strengthening the RCIPS’s infrastructure that underpins law enforcement and justice in the Cayman Islands,” he said.
The Cayman Brac police station will remain at its present location on Kirkconnell Street.
At present nine constables, two sergeants and one civilian, under the supervision of a chief inspector, operate at the station, according to the RCIPS website.
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