Judging from his body language at the press conference called last week to discuss the shooting death of four-year-old Jeremiah Barnes, Governor Duncan Taylor was nervous.

Although no one could blame the new governor for the current crime spree, his predecessor is not blameless.

After Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, a multitude of problems inside the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service resulted in a big increase in crime.

Toward the end of 2005, a new police commissioner, Stuart Kernohan, arrived with a promise to clean up crime.

He delivered on that promise.

In November 2006, a caycompass.com online poll showed that only 7.5 per cent of respondents thought crime was the biggest concern facing the country, a major reversal of opinion from a year earlier.

Crime remained in check until Mr. Kernohan – and two other top RCIPS officers - were put on required leave in March 2008 by former Governor Stuart Jack as part of the Operation Tempura fiasco.

Since then we’ve seen a revolving door of police commissioners, the departure of senior officers and, not surprisingly, a large increase in crime.  Although factors like the bad economy play a part in the rising crime, the dubious decisions by Mr. Jack with relation to Operation Tempura have helped make the RCIPS less effective, less trusted by the public and elected government, and less feared by criminals.

The appointment of Police Commissioner David Baines has finally stabilised the top of the RCIPS command structure. Governor Taylor must now smooth over the damaged relationship between the UK and Cayman Government.

Governor Jack often approached the public and elected Cayman Government with a dismissive, almost condescending mien. He acted as if only he knew best how to lead the internal security of these Islands.  If we learned anything from the past two years, it’s that Cayman’s internal security must be a cooperative effort between the UK and the Cayman Islands.

There are provisions in the new Constitution that give structure to such cooperation; we sincerely hope Governor Taylor realises the future of these Islands depend on the effective implementation of a true partnership in internal security.