Last year saw 111 people arrested on suspicion of burglary in Cayman, however despite the proactive approach adopted by the RCIPS to arrest and charge suspects, burglaries continue to rise and reached levels last seen in 2006.
Crime figures for 2013 confirm that burglary is the most prevalent crime in Cayman with 229 more break-ins reported in 2013 than in 2012. The 45.62% rise in burglaries has contributed to a rise in serious crime of 40.61%. Volume crimes have also risen by 24.59%.
However, while the RCIPS is constantly reviewing its patrol plans and strategies in an effort to reduce the opportunities available to criminals, a dip sample of burglary reports has revealed that during the last ten weeks of 2013, 30% of reported burglaries took place at premises which were insecure – with burglars gaining access through open or unlocked windows or doors.
“The rise in burglaries is a major concern,” said Commissioner David Baines. “Tackling this issue and doing all that we can in terms of patrol and investigative approaches to reduce break-ins is our top priority for us. We have a dedicated burglary team in place and we are in close liaison with the DPP’s office to ensure that when suspects appear in court all possible steps are taken to oppose bail, particularly for suspects who have a history of being prevalent burglars.
“We can definitely see a drop in burglaries when specific suspects are arrested, but then when they are released on bail, the number of reports start to rise again. Only a few weeks ago, two of the suspects who were arrested following a burglary in Red Bay, then a subsequently police pursuit, were found to be wearing electronic monitoring tags. It’s clear that much more dialogue needs to take place by all involved in the justice system to find a satisfactory solution to this problem.
“However, “continued Mr. Baines, “We also have to accept that there a number of other contributing factors to the issue. Firstly, the economic downturn; people are looking to make a quick buck by stealing portable items like flat screen TVs, tablets, smartphones, cash and jewellery. These items can be quickly sold on through a variety of mediums – private ads, face to face exchanges and the use of second hand goods outlets. We are working closely with the second hand retailers and, as a result, have been successful in recovering some stolen property which suspects have attempted to pass to staff within the stores. But the fact is that property is much easier to identify, and recover, if serial numbers have been noted by the owners, or the property has been marked using ultraviolet pens, or in some other distinguishing way.
“Finally, we all have to admit that it’s now a reality that people can no longer leave their doors and windows open without fear of opportunists entering their property and stealing their electronics, cash and other valuables. We have increased our patrols, particularly in areas which have been identified as burglary hot-spots, but once again we need the community to work alongside us to combat this problem. If you don’t have a neighbourhood watch scheme in your area, then please contact us and we will assist you in setting one up. Talk to our officers in your district to target-harden your homes and businesses; often simple things like cutting back bushes, installing outside lighting and locking doors and windows will make your property much less accessible and attractive to burglars. Security companies across the island also offer a wide range of security products, starting with inexpensive window locks to some very sophisticated alarm and monitoring systems.
In conclusion, Mr. Baines is confident that the situation will improve if the police, justice, communities and those involved in business take a collective and proactive approach. I am confident that by working together we will see a reduction in opportunities, continuing arrests and, as a result, crime will start to fall again. We have seen that targeted arrests and increased patrols are having results and the spike in burglaries we saw as we entered 2014 has been reversed”.

Attached: Year-end crime and traffic statistics for 2013, providing a comparison to 2012.