From RCIPS

During proactive foot patrols along SMB in recent weeks CPD officers were approached by a visitor whose bag had been stolen while she was in the water; a man behaving suspiciously in the area was seen and was pursued, but not apprehended. 

Officers gathered CCTV from the area and also received information from the community which led them ultimately to a location on Powell Smith Drive in West Bay on 23 April, where an item believed to be the stolen bag was recovered. A 30-year-old man living at the address near this location was also arrested on suspicion of theft and was booked into custody; it was then discovered that the man was overstaying in the Cayman Islands and Customs and Boarder Control Enforcement Department was notified.

Officers then quickly obtained and executed a search warrant for the residence and recovered further stolen items that had been inside the bag.  

The man, a Jamaican national, pleaded guilty to the Theft and the immigration offence of Overstaying. He has received an Adult Caution and has been sentenced to deportation. He is expected to leave the island shortly.

“This case shows that keeping our beautiful beaches theft-free is a group effort,” says Robert Graham, Superintendent of Uniform Operations, “thanks to the immediacy of the initial report from the visitor, and the information received from the community, CPD officers were able to track the offender, make an arrest, recover stolen property and identify a separate immigration offence.  This is a good example of the kind of enforcement we can deliver together.”