Colin Wilson

We now hear of another former police officer that is in litigation with the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) and in particular Commissioner David Baines.

With a number of other court actions against Baines over the termination of officers without explanation one can only wonder why he continues to remain silent and hasn’t taken action to speedily address the situation.

Upon speaking to officers in the RCIPS, who wish to remain anonymous, they say it is demoralizing and the police morale in all the ranks is low.

The latest case highlighted in CNS concerns former police officer, John Morrison, a Caymanian status holder, who was sacked in December 2011 without warning. This was two months after he had received a letter in October 2011 stating that his contract would be renewed for another three years!!

He filed an appeal to his dismissal through the internal processes for public servants in February 2012 but two years later he has received no word as to the reasons why he lost his job.

Morrison has now filed for a judicial review against the commissioner and the deputy governor seeking damages and back pay.

CNS says [Morrison] “having heard nothing, he wrote to the deputy chief officer in the Portfolio of the Civil Service asking for an update on that appeal. On 28 September he wrote to the deputy chief officer again after a meeting with crown counsel from the Attorney General’s Chambers saying he was willing to accept any of the suggestions that they had offered to settle the issue.

“However, in January of this year, instead of a settlement he was given a date for his appeal, which he attended in May, but more than five months after that hearing and nearly two years after he was dismissed, there has been no decision made in his case. ”

Go to: http://www.caymannewsservice.com/local-news/2013/10/28/ex-pc-takes-legal-action-against-cop to read the whole story.

This is absolutely appalling. It shows the commissioner in a very bad light and affects every officer in the RCIPS. You can be thrown out of the police with no explanation. All you get is a letter saying you are fired.

Not good enough.

If it were an isolated case it would be unacceptable. It is not.

Therefore, I believe the commissioner owes all of us an explanation as to why this keeps happening.

We are the ones who have to pay the legal bills and we also pay all the salaries of the RCIPS.

What is even worse is the damage the adverse publicity is to the RCIPS and the escalating downward trend to its officers’ morale in a time when we need a highly efficient police force.

If the commissioner won’t supply his dismissed officers with an explanation perhaps he will kindly supply the public with one.