EDITORIAL

Cayman Still The Safest

Friday, March 26, 2004

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Reader comments:

• For the past four years I have been visiting your lovely island. What brought me to the Cayman Islands in the first place was the fact that I was looking for a sunny destination that was SAFE. I went on the Internet, asked many questions on where to stay and what to do and checked out the U.S. travel warnings. With all my research complete I flew down and could not believe how clean the island was, how friendly the people were and how SAFE I felt every where and at every hour (even sitting alone to have a cocktail at happy hour). I rave at how you can walk a beach at sunrise or have a drink at sunset and meet, greet and not be bothered by people yelling out car windows, hassling you on the beach to buy things, or "harassing you all night at a bar". Cayman Island is such a relaxing and comfortable vacation that I now travel down there 3 times a year to find peace of mind. I now call Cayman "home away from home", but secretly know that I could never walk outside after dark or alone on a beach where I live and feel completely comfortable like I do down there in Cayman. As a side note, on my first trip - as I was heading to the airport to return home - I realized that I left a very expensive camera on a chair at the hotel lobby. I asked if the taxi could turn around so I could see if by chance it would still be there (all the time doubting it would be). The taxi driver turned around even though he was right at the airport and told me not to worry that it would still be there. I had all faith restored when we arrived back at the hotel and my camera was sitting right there in the chair where I left it and then the taxi driver would not accept any extra money for the taxi fare for the double trip. To this day, I repeat this story to people and the reply is always the same that "the camera would not have been there if it wasn't Cayman islands and the taxi driver would not have been so hospitable" I tipped him well and I "tip my hat" to the Cayman Islands - Traveler
  
  
• Since crime statistics have not been submitted to Interpol for years, how can anyone be sure that the government is not altering crime statistics in Cayman? For example, the U.S. State department web site states that rape and sexual assault are likely "under-reported", etc. in Cayman. Also, there is much more crime in Cayman than most U.S. municipalities of 40,000 residents - that is a fact. Calling Cayman safe perpetuates a myth in my opinion - Anonymous
  
  
• As a former resident of Cayman and I also worked as a prison Officer at HMP Northward for two years, I would agree that Cayman is indeed a safe place to live. I look at what is happening in my own town of Shrewsbury (England), which was a safe place to live only a few years ago. Juvenile crime is on the increase; our prisons are at bursting point… what is the answer? As I remember most of the crime committed in Cayman was aquisical, (to feed a drug dependency) or gang related, the prison was full most of the time. Cayman needs to educate their young, have a zero tolerance on juvenile crime, set up a DTO (Detention Training Order), ASBO (Anti Social Behaviour Orders) and insure the offender learns from the experience. This can sometimes be achieved by the offenders visiting the prison for a day to show them the stark reality of what prison life is about. I am in charge of a unit containing 202 Juvenile offenders 15 to 17, which also locks up 500 young offenders 18 to 21. This is what you have to look forward to if you do not tackle juvenile crime. Lastly, I would be interested to hear from anyone that remembers me from my time in Cayman. Good luck with your fight to keep Cayman safe - John Newby
  • Editor's note:  If any readers would like to contact Mr Newby, send us an e-mail and we will be happy to pass it on to him.

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