George Town detectives are investigating an early morning robbery which occurred in Eden Road at South Church Street, South Sound.

About 7.15 am police received a report that a woman had been walking to work when she saw a man sitting on a fence. The man suddenly pointed what appeared to be a firearm at the woman and demanded cash before making off with her bag. The best description available at the current time of the robber is that he was wearing a black shirt,  baggy blue jeans and spoke with a Caymanian accent. He was last seen running in the direction of Windsor Park.

The woman was not injured in the incident and immediately called the 911 emergency communications centre. The operator kept the woman on the phone, obtained initial details of the incident and, while the woman remained on the line, passed those details to the officer in charge of George Town police station.

Shortly after the incident the victim began feeling unwell and was conveyed to the Cayman Islands Hospital where she is currently being assessed. Detectives are currently interviewing her and further details will be made in due course.

This is the second such robbery in recent days where a woman has been targeted and the suspect/ suspects have run off towards the Windsor Park area. While it is too early to say if the crimes are linked officers are asking the public to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity in the area.

In response to media reports that suggest that no police action was taken until almost 7.50am this morning, we can confirm that when the officer in charge at George Town police station ascertained from the 911 operator that the victim  had not been injured the decision was taken to establish cordons in the area in an attempt to apprehend the suspect.   The victim was made aware by the police, via 911, that an officer would not immediately attend the scene. However, on reviewing the incident we are disappointed that it took over 30 minutes for an officer to make physical contact with the victim at the scene.  As a result of this incident we will be reviewing our procedures to ensure that this does not happen again.

Enquiries into the incident are ongoing and anyone who has any information which could assist police is asked to contact George Town police station on 949-4222, the RCIPS tip-line on 949-7777 or Crime Stoppers 800-8477 (TIPS).