Governor Helen Kilpatrick marked her first anniversary in the Cayman Islands by speaking to CITN/Cayman 27. The Governor provides the following interview for use by iNews Cayman

How do you feel about your first year in office?

Amazed that it has been a year already! The year has passed by very quickly indeed. Of course, my anniversary comes shortly after that marked by the Government in May and there have been some significant achievements over the year. I have been particularly pleased to see the progress made to reduce the government debt burden and to get public finances onto a sounder footing, the passing of the National Conservation Bill, and the work being done on the three major capital projects – the Cruise Berth, the Airport and the George Town landfill site. I am encouraged that the government is following established best procurement practice and observing good governance

Of course it hasn’t all been work in the office and I have been very grateful for the opportunity to get out and about, in Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands, and to meet so many great people.

Was it what you expected?

It was better than expected! I had visited former Governor Taylor for just a couple of days in the July before I arrived and was very impressed with the island and the people who live here. But you really need more time to really appreciate just how special these islands are.

Did anything come as a surprise?

Quite a few things have come as a surprise – including the fact that fish can chase you as I have learned to my cost!   But seriously, I have been bowled over by just how generous and charitable the people of the Cayman Islands are. I do not just mean the multitude of events organised to support various charities and groups – although these are excellent and achieve a great deal –but how generous so many members of the community are with their time on a day to day basis. Everyone seems to be contributing to the community through youth groups, sports, churches and many other ways.

The community really pulls together when others are in need for example the response from everyone here to the Philippine Typhoon last year was incredible. Derek Haines’ six marathon challenge to build a new hospice is another great example of this community spirit. Cayman Islanders are very good at making time for others, from simple daily courtesies to the larger gestures I have just mentioned. The people here really are the friendliest I have met.

Downsizing the civil service has been a topic for some time, this rationalization project may be the first tangible step to seeing movement in this direction. Do you plan to make sure it comes to fruition as the ultimate head of the civil service?

Since I have been in the Cayman Islands I have been impressed with the commitment that the Deputy Governor has shown to tackling a move to a more efficient public sector. Cabinet will shortly consider the EY Review that the Deputy Governor commissioned. It is important to recognise the need to reduce the size of the civil service whilst caring about the welfare of civil servants.   I’m encouraged that the deputy Governor has identified an experienced and capable civil servant to head the implementation team. I will continue to give this work my full support as it moves forward.

You also have oversight for the police – burglaries are on the rise. Is this a case of police not able to keep the crime under control or the symptom of a community still grappling with high unemployment? Or a combination of both?

I am very conscious indeed that safety and security is a key issue for everyone who lives here – and for visitors too. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service have demonstrated that they are able to respond to spikes in crime but some underlying social issues need to be addressed too. I think we have all been shocked at just how young some of the children recently arrested for burglary have been. There are far too many burglaries, but this year there have been11% (or 50) fewer burglaries than last year.

The Cayman Islands remain the safest part of the Caribbean. Daily intervention by RCIPS has served to put a lid on the worst of the gang activity.   Everyone will remember only too well, the shootings in 2011 which saw 5 deaths in nine days. Gang issues haven’t gone away but the excesses have been controlled by targeted policing.

There is a wider debate beginning to take place on social failings. You could argue that a breakdown in family authority is, in part, responsible for 11 yr old burglars. The police are not going to solve those ills, but have to hold line whilst wider social policy is introduced to address the social problems experienced by sections of the community.

It’s encouraging that this year saw the first all Caymanian recruit class for over 20 yrs, saw 9 brand new recruits enter the service. I wish them every success in their future careers.

You’ve had to deal with some residual issues from your predecessors, Operation Tempura to name one – where is that now and what has your approach been?

As you will know there are cases that are still before the courts so it really is inappropriate for me to comment on anything related to Operation Tempura.

I appreciate that this is something that the media are going to speculate about, and I recognise the professionalism of the media here, but I really am unable to comment any further given the pending legal cases.

How is your relationship with government?

I have a very good working relationship with the Government who in turn have developed a very good working relationship with the former British Minister for the Overseas Territories, Mark Simmonds. Over the last few weeks Mr Simmonds has left the Foreign Office and been replaced by Minister James Duddridge. The Premier and Minister Panton will meet Mr Duddridge for the first time when they visit the UK later this month and, again at the Joint Ministerial Council that will be held in London in December.

What has been the most difficult part of your first year?

I think that the most difficult thing is that I can’t be in two places at the same time. I receive lots of invitations and I am keen to accept as many as possible. I’d like to apologise to all those that have been kind enough to invite me to events that I’ve been unable to attend

What has been the highlight of your year?

The warm welcome that I received back in September 2013 will stick in my memory for a very long time, particularly the events in each District. It has been both a challenging and exciting year. I’ve learnt so much and met so many wonderful people it is difficult to pick out one specific highlight. These were a tremendous opportunity for me to appreciate the different histories and cultures of each district and to meet as many local residents as I could.

What has been the lowlight of your year?

It can be frustrating that some of my work is done ‘behind the scenes’ which means it’s not always possible to say things in public as much as perhaps I’d like to.

What is your favourite part of the Cayman Islands?

I am lucky enough to have visited all of the Islands and travelled extensively across Grand Cayman. I recognise that I am exceptionally fortunate to be able to wake up at Government House and to have breakfast looking out onto the beautiful Seven Mile Beach every morning.

What has been your favourite event that you have attended?

I’ve attended many wonderful events. These have ranged from culture showpieces like Pirates’ Week and the agricultural shows to glittering charity fundraisers at the fine hotels that we have on Cayman. I was really pleased that we were able to re-instate the Queen’s Birthday Party at Government House this year after the excellent parade in George Town. I hope this will become a tradition during my time here.

What are you looking forward to in your second year?

There is still much to do and there are sure to be some challenges ahead, but the relationship that we have built will mean I am able to engage in open and constructive conversations with the government to meet any such challenges. I am particularly keen to see implementation of the action plan on the EY review when the Cabinet has approved this.

One thing that I am looking forward to in the coming year is Cayman Cookout. For the first time the Governor’s office, with the Department of Tourism and British Airways have invited a young British Chef, Adam Handling, to participate. I hope that this will give Cayman a taste of the excellent cuisine that the UK enjoys and will give Adam a chance to cook with the wonderful season produce that is on offer here. I expect there to be a competition so that lucky Caymanians can win the chance to visit the UK to eat in Adam’s London restaurant. We’ll have more details later in the year.

How are we performing economically?

I think that we are performing very well and are on course to be compliant with the financial framework by 2016. This will be a very considerable achievement that will put the Cayman Islands on a sound financial basis for the future.

Do you think that we have the necessary skill set for this?

Yes, I do think that we have necessary skills and we have a very able Finance Minister. But we cannot become complacent as there are always likely to be surprises ahead. No-one, for example, could have predicted the depth of the global recession that hit in 2008.