Police Inspector Ian Yearwood has been appointed as the new Area Commander for the Sister Islands. He has succeeded Acting Inspector Kevin Bogle in this role, who has returned to uniform policing duties on Grand Cayman after successfully completing his two-year tenure.

Inspector Yearwood has already completed the hand-over process with the assistance of Acting Inspector Bogle, who has introduced him to key members of the community, such as the District Commissioner, the deputy District Commissioner, the head of the Sister Islands Customs and Border Control, Cayman Islands Fire Service, Public Works Department and the Port Authority. He has also met with the Principal of the Layman Scott High School and intends to meet other members of the community in the weeks to come. 

Inspector Yearwood brings with him a wealth of policing knowledge having worked previously as a Duty Inspector at all three districts on Grand Cayman. Additionally, he headed up the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit, Community Policing Unit, served as Marine Commander in the Joint Marine Unit and was the Aide de Camp to H.E the Governor for several years.  He joined the RCIPS in 1999 after spending 9 years in the Royal Barbados Police Force. Altogether he has 30 years of policing experience.

Inspector Ian Yearwood’s years and range of experience are among the reasons the Senior Command Team believes he will successfully assume the task of Sister Islands’ Area Commander. He will take the next few weeks to conduct a thorough assessment of policing coverage and performance, and the community needs, to ensure effective policing on the Sister Islands. An early assessment of issues on the sister islands has identified that the island struggles with reckless driving behaviours and collisions, which has resulted in serious injuries. He will be drawing on his experience from working in the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit, to devise a plan of action to reduce serious collisions and encourage good driving behaviours.  “Road and Community Policing is my passion and has been stamped into my career over the years,” says Inspector Yearwood, “It is my belief that Community Policing is the heart of policing the closely knitted communities of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman and I intend to do my part to ensure that the officers under my command for the next two years, work towards building a stronger bond with the community, which will hopefully encourage communication and discourage the occurrence of crime.”

Inspector Yearwood will be making visits and patrols to get to know members of the community on an individual basis and he encourages them to also visit him and discuss their ideas and concerns. Anyone interested in speaking with him is invited to call the Cayman Brac Police Station at 948-0331.