Speaking at a public meeting at the South Sound Community Centre Monday night, members of the People’s Progressive Movement suggested a unified national effort to deal with the rising crime problem

PPM George Town MLA Alden McLaughlin said violent crime is something that would destroy the Cayman Islands if not controlled.

“We need a non-partisan approach to the way we deal with crime,” he said, criticising Premier McKeeva Bush’s comments on talk radio Monday saying he had inherited the crime situation from the PPM administration.

“There is something so wrong with saying that; it is sad,” he said. “We really have to tone down the rhetoric when it comes to this subject of how we deal with crime.

“It has to be a national effort,” he said, adding that both sides of the house, civil servants and the public have to join with police and other law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime.

Mr. McLaughlin refuted statements made by Mr. Bush that suggested he had no more power to address the crime issue than the previous administration did because the governor had ultimate responsibility for security matters.

He pointed out that provisions for a National Security Council, which would include government members, was provided for in the new constitution that took effect 6 November. That council would have the power to direct the governor on national security issues.

“We still don’t have a National Security Council that is operational,” he said, adding that he thought it was a “dereliction of duty” in the view of what has been happening with crime recently for Cayman not to have the council operational since 6 November.

While he was speaking, Leader of the Opposition Kurt Tibbetts told Mr. McLaughlin he had been told the National Security Council would commence operations on 3 March, something he welcomed.

Mr. McLaughlin spoke of the Private Member’s Motion he had submitted for consideration to the Legislative Assembly asking the government to consider the appointment of a National Crime Prevention Strategy Group.

This group would comprise a cross-section of business and community leaders, law enforcement and other civil-service personnel and legislators from both sides of the House.  It would be asked to present an initial report and recommendations to Government and the Legislative Assembly within six weeks of its appointment.

The motion also asks the government to consider the establishment of an Office of National Security and the appointment of a director of National Security, who will report to the National Security Council. It suggests the Office of National Security be responsible for the implementation of the National Crime Prevention Strategy and the coordination of the crime prevention, investigative and enforcement work of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, the Immigration Department, the Customs Department and their liaison with global and regional counterparts.

Mr. McLaughlin said that Cayman’s law enforcement efforts have never been a combined and coordinated effort across all enforcement agencies including the Police, Immigration and Customs.

He said better efforts had to be made with border control.

“I don’t know of one gun manufacturing plant in Cayman,” he said, adding that all the guns here must have been imported.  Although he admitted there is some ganja grown here, he said it was not enough to spark the gang violence that has been occurring.

“If we don’t get an effective handle on border control and what is coming into Cayman, we will never, never get a handle on the crime.”

Mr. McLaughlin said it would take the involvement of the entire community to fight crime.

Taking responsibility

Other speakers at the meeting also addressed crime, including East End MLA Arden McLean.

“We need to take responsibility for crime,” he said. “We need to do it as citizens.

“I’m not blaming the current government, but all I’m saying is we have a responsibility to deal with it.”

Bodden Town MLA Anthony Eden said people had to stop saying “not my child” when it came to some of the people committing the crimes.

“We must get away from party politics and work together as one people,” he said.

Mr. Clifford said that during the time when Stuart Kernohan was policy commissioner, many good Caymanian officers left the Royal Cayman Islands Police Services. He said that he did not know why; only that they had left on Mr. Kernohan’s watch.

“We need to bring back those Caymanian officers,” he said, adding that foreign officers don’t know the community like Caymanians.