The very first murder in the Cayman Islands for 2011 occurred last night in the District of West Bay.

Members of the community told iNews they are frustrated by the nature and frequency of the new wave of violence, and they do not know when it will stop.

For fear of repercussions, none of the people we spoke to would be identified.

One woman said: “I think there are so many matters to be taken into consideration.

“When I was in school it was a lot different. It was just knives that were used in crimes, not guns.

“Where are the guns coming from? How did they get here?

“Things are looking really bad on the Cayman Islands.”

Another added: “There are just not enough jobs available for the youths, and not enough employment opportunities.

“There are more gangs now than ever before, plus the youths are just fed up.

“The government is selling out the country and the youths are upset.

“People that have nothing to do will find interest in gangs.”

A young man from the area said: “I think the young people are fed up, they are out of a job and they look and see that their older family members are no better off.”

Another added: “Things  are looking worse. It will not get better. The youths cannot get any work so they go out, rob people and kill.

“This situation is just starting to get bad. The new police cars are not going to make any difference.”

One man said: “I am 60 yrs old and I when I was growing up I didn’t see anything
like this. We need to have more people working with the police and giving them information.

“This crime is completely out of control.

“The new cars are good but we need to have much more foot patrol.

“We need to have more police presence right now.”

A woman added: “All these murderers are coming back out on the street. There is no justice. It is just not fair.

“Other offenders do not believe they will ever face justice. They all feel they can easily get away.”

One male added: “The youths are fed up. They have light bills and huge rent to pay, plus kids.

“The prison system is in no way rehabilitating the prisoners.

“Prisoners are even learning how to be worse from other prisoners, so when they get back on the streets it is even more of a problem.”

Anyone with information about the murder is asked to call Crimestoppers on 800 TIPS (8477) or West Bay Police Station.