It feels a bit like Texas here in the Cayman Islands. The weather is super hot and the only difference from Texas is, it is steamy and not dry.

But we are having a rodeo and the cattle being roped may lead to a stampede – a stampede most of us will enjoy.

The cattle being roped and brought to heel in Cayman, especially on Grand Cayman, are suspected robbers.

Our rodeo cowboys are the much maligned officers of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) who now have a total of six men behind bars in connection with last month’s Cayman National Bank (CNB) robbery in Buckingham Square and the one at WestStar TV Centre, off Eastern Avenue, that took place in May.

Yesterday (9), during the morning hours, police said two more men were charged with the bank hold-up and more arrests were made over the weekend.

The two men, who appeared in court yesterday, were aged 23 and 27 and were charged with robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence over the CNB case.

These same two men were also arrested in connection with the robbery at WestStar TV Centre on Thursday 24th May on suspicion of robbery.

During this robbery, three masked men forced customers on the ground and demanded staff hand-over cash. Witnesses said it all happened in the space of just a minute before the trio fled in a dark red coloured Mitsubishi car. A reward of $10,000 was offered by WestStar TV for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

At the weekend, the police were busy rounding up two more men in connection with the bank robbery at CNB on Thursday 28^th June. The men made off with almost half million dollars in cash. However, just like a comedy movie, the perpetrators dropped $100,000 of the their loot after colliding with a bank security van and running away on foot before being picked up by another car and escaping.

The RCIPS rounded up their first suspect in West Bay only one day after the CNB hold-up that was made at gunpoint (just like the WestStar one). He is Marlon Dillon and was charged and after appearing in court is now in the care of HMP Northward.

With the rodeo playing mainly in West Bay but enquiries continuing in other districts, we suggest that anyone else thinking of robbing banks and business premises should think again. Be careful though, you might be trampled to death by the stampede of other would be robbers “outa here”.

Yippee! It’s Cayman Rodeo and more soon come.

PS. RCIPS announced later on Monday (9) a third man aged 33 years, has also been arrested on suspicion and in connection with the WestStar robbery. It is believed he is also one of the men also charged with the CNB robbery.

And yet another development on the CNB robbery: we have also learnt form the RCIPS confirmation of a 40-year-old woman also being arrested on Monday 9 July, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit robbery. She remains in police custody while enquiries continue.

Rodeo rolls on.