West Bay Community comes together to help clean up Cayman Islands district

West Bay Community Officers have been proud to support and facilitate two community-led initiatives over the past week aimed at cleaning up the district. Both initiatives grew out of concerns by residents about trash and derelict vehicles in the district and a determination to do something about it, together with police and other partners.

On Saturday, 17 February, the West Bay Community Officers joined a cleanup in West Bay Central which saw members of the community come together to pick up trash and debris in the area from 6:00 to 9:00AM. The cleanup was organized by the West Bay Central community group which formed earlier this year. Their aim is to attract fellow community members who want to come together and improve the area in which they live by taking concrete action.

“Even just coming together on a weekend morning to clear a neighborhood of trash is a big step in the right direction,” said Mrs. Katherine Wilks, the committee’s organizer. “We are very pleased to have the support of the community police officers as we work together to make the West Bay community a better place to live. This community cleanup is just the beginning.”

Following this clean-up, another group of concerned community members approached the West Bay Community Officers about addressing the ongoing issue of derelict vehicles in the district. Community police officers then worked with these residents to organize the collection of vehicles in one area, while at the same time facilitating the assistance of the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) to have the unsightly vehicles then removed to the landfill. On Monday a number of derelict vehicles gathered from throughout the district were parked along West Church Street outside the West Bay Police Station, waiting for removal to the landfill by the DEH.

“The vehicles come from various places in the district and were transported to the station with the help of a local equipment operator. The person who owns the property next to the station was also willing to let us temporarily place the vehicles there, so this has been a community effort on all sides,” said PC Eugene Myles of the Neighbourhood Policing Department. “Having the vehicles in one location allows the DEH to remove them all at the same time. We contacted DEH and they were eager to assist.”

Early this morning, 22 February, the DEH began moving the derelict vehicles from the location, and by midday all of the vehicles had been removed. This successful effort follows a similar vehicle roundup that was coordinated in West Bay last year.

“These are the kinds of grassroots efforts that community police officers are eager to support and also initiate,” said Inspector Courtney Myles, Head of the RCIPS Community Policing Department. “West Bayers are proud of their district and we look forward to partnering with them, as well as other government departments like DEH, as we increase our community policing efforts this year.”

IMAGES

West Bay Community Officers and community members after Saturday’s cleanup
Derelict vehicles lined up outside the West Bay Police Station
DEH’s grabber truck lifts one of the final two derelict cars
Community Officers PC Myles and PC Bulgin just before the last vehicles were removed
The empty lot after all of the vehicles were removed