The RCIPS has just launched a strategic policing plan ‘Making the Cayman Islands Safer’ which covers the period from 2024 to 2026 and puts five goals at the top of the agenda. Unsurprisingly, preventing and tackling crime is at the top, followed by protecting vulnerable and at-risk people, making Cayman’s roads safer, improving public confidence in the Police, as well as modernising the Police Service.
Having taken up the post of Police Commissioner last October, Commissioner Kurt Walton led a team to gather information as to how the RCIPS ought to shape its strategic policing plan. They began with an internal audit of the organisation, a procedure that the Commissioner considered to be a health check to highlight areas that were working well and others that needed improvement. Following this, he hosted an all-staff meeting where he presented his ideas for the future to his staff and requested their feedback. The third step was an east-to-west hosting of district meetings, starting in Cayman Brac and concluding in George Town. The final step was a meeting with the Senior Leadership Team and other key stakeholders to brainstorm and put forward ideas from their respective portfolios.
The resulting Strategic Policing Plan 2024 – 2026 was developed and encompasses guiding principles, policing priorities, and strategic delivery model.
In a statement the RCIPS said: “The strategic plan will guide us, as we go about the business of accomplishing our goal of ‘Making the Cayman Islands Safer’, our mission of working with our communities, for our communities, using a policing style that is caring, collaborative and accountable as well as instilling our values of respect, courtesy, integrity, professionalism, and service.”
“Despite some changes and deviations from the previous plan, the safety of the Cayman Islands remains the paramount concern for the police, and all the priorities that have been set work towards this goal,” they added.
The 2024-2026 strategic plan is built from lessons learnt and the progress made over the last three years. The driving force behind this change lies in today’s globalised world of technology, communication, and finance, the report states. These advancements have not only fostered illicit enterprises but have empowered professional criminals spanning various industries. This reality necessitates understanding international organised crime and terrorist networks – a paradigm widely accepted within policing. Law enforcement agencies worldwide must adopt interconnected, networked structures to counter these threats effectively.
The report says that we live in a world where crime is glamourised and often used as a tactic to lure young people.
“The Cayman Islands is not exempt from this issue and so, we have to employ concerted efforts in implementing strategies to address the challenges of youth violence. This is a multidisciplinary approach that involves strengthening and diversifying our community involvement to deter our youths from developing anti-social behaviour,” it states.
In the report, the RCIPS outlines in more detail its policing priorities when it comes to tackling crime, which are to disrupt and investigate serious and organised crimes, tackle firearms, drugs, violent and gang-related crimes and confront anti-social behaviour, neighbourhood, and property crimes. They also aim to focus on tackling illicit finance and financial crimes, combat cyber-crimes, cyber-enabled crimes, and online scams, and intend to collaborate with partners to secure Cayman’s borders.
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