Give a gift that could save a life this Christmas. That’s the call from officers of the RCIPS who are encouraging everyone to put a hands free kit at the top of their Christmas shopping list this year.

Just days before the RCIPS is due to begin this year’s holiday safety campaign, officers are warning drivers that if they continue to use their cell phones, without hands free kits, when the new Traffic Law comes into force that they won’t just be feeling the post-Christmas pinch in their pockets – those who ignore the cell phone ban will face a hefty fine.

The holiday safety initiative – codenamed Operation Christmas Cracker – begins on Monday, 28 November.

“Last year we were so disappointed by the blatant disregard that people showed for safety on our roads that we called for a multi-agency national road safety strategy to be developed,” said Superintendent Adrian Seales. “Since then the working group has worked closely with Government and we’re pleased to say that many of the recommendations we made to make Cayman’s roads safer have been passed in the new Traffic Law. We’re particularly delighted that the cell phone driving epidemic is being addressed. That’s why we are calling for people to be responsible and use Christmas as an opportunity to give a gift that could save a life this year!”

Outlining the plans for the holiday safety campaign, Mr. Seales said that all aspects of safety and security will be addressed. “People are well used to us launching our festive road safety initiative in November,” he said. “But this year we’re taking a slightly different approach. Road safety will still be pivotal to the campaign, but we will also be looking at personal safety, home and business security and safety at sea. It’s a much more rounded campaign where, through our programme of education and enforcement , we hope to reduce the opportunities for criminality and make people much more aware of the role they can play in making the Cayman Islands’ festive season a safe and crime free one for everyone.”

Chief Inspector Angelique Howell, the operational commander of the initiative, said, “Throughout the five week period all of the areas of safety and security outlined by Mr. Seales will be actively targeted every day and night. However, each week of the campaign will have a dedicated  theme where we will raise awareness of the simple steps people can take to stay safe.

“The first week of the campaign sees road safety at the forefront and we will be out in force getting the safe driving and don’t drink and drive messages out there. High visibility patrols and road checks will be commonplace. These checks not only help us to detect offences, they also give us another opportunity to search for illegal drugs, guns and other weapons.”

Operation Christmas Cracker will run from Monday, 28 November 2011 until Wednesday, 4 January 2012.