In the first week of Operation Winter Guardian, the police’s annual holiday-safety campaign, more than 70 people have been arrested for a variety of offences.
The operation, which began on 11 Dec., netted 15 people for drink-driving offences, just under 10 for robberies, and about 15 for drug-related crimes, police said in a statement on 20 Dec.
The RCIPS said there had also been an increase in traffic prosecutions during this period, the majority of which were for speeding and expired vehicle registration.
In the first week of the campaign, “the Cayman community has seen an increased presence of officers in communities and commercial areas, high-visibility patrols and vehicle check points, an increase of police operations and search for wanted persons, and an increase in traffic enforcement overall,” the RCIPS said.
Operation Winter Guardian will continue throughout the month of December.
Police say the aim of the operation is to provide “a wide approach to the safety and wellbeing of all persons in the Cayman Islands”.
In an earlier statement about the campaign, police said its primary road safety focus is to reduce fatalities, especially since four fatal collisions occurred in December last year. This would be carried out by officers targeting behaviours that are the main cause of crashes, including speeding, driving under the influence and distracted driving.
Police say they are aiming to protect the local residential and business community from criminal activities at a time of year when there is more social and commercial activity and higher-value transactions. To this end, more community foot patrols are being carried out around shopping and residential areas, and there are also increased high-visibility mobile patrols by specialist units, including the Firearms Response, the Air Operations and K-9 units.
Police are also urging members of the public to be vigilant to financial crimes, like credit card fraud, business email compromises and social media scams. They are advising people to monitor their card transactions closely for discrepancies, be alert to text/email scams requesting passwords or bank details and never sharing these details, but verifying communication directly with the business.
“We encourage the public to make reports of suspicious or illegal activities when you see them, and implore to the motoring public to take precautions during this season to ensure the safety of all road users. Do not drink and drive, reduce your speed and drive with due care and courtesy,” police said.
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I haven’t seen a single police and certainly not in the beach. Next they will be ramping up to get the low hanging fruit of people on e-bikes and scooters without licenses and helmets.
Basically will bankrupt a scooter rider with a $2,000 fine with no license, insurance, registration and helmet. The poorer people won’t be able to pay and will fill up the jail. It’s going to get weird in my mind. They are really attacking the low income foreign workers on island from every angle.
Well done, RCIPS.
Now let’s have a speedy trial, a tough sentence and keep them in prison till the trial.
Security guards have an important job.
Caymanians should be able to become security guards and suitable training provided. Preferably by the police and licenses issued.
Trained Caymanian guards should be paid more.
Trained Caymanians should be allowed to carry pepper spray or Mace. Certainly effective against machete fielders.
No masks allowed without a medical certificate.
By far the most common offence in Cayman is speeding, with hundreds every day breaking the law, yet no figures for prosecutions are given in this article. The police need to provide this information.