EDITORIAL

Cayman Still The Safest

Friday, March 26, 2004

Over the past couple of months, residents of Grand Cayman have heard the distressing reports of violent crimes taking place here, ranging from two murders, to an armed robbery of a tourist, to stabbings during a home invasion.

Most long-term residents of this country have been shocked by the violent turn of events, mainly because they can remember times in Cayman when such crimes rarely, if ever, occurred. 

While increasing crime in this country must be acknowledged and addressed both preventatively and investigatively, and more resources must be allocated to do so, it is sometimes easy to forget that, comparatively speaking, we still live in a remarkably safe country.

This point was driven home by one of Cayman Net News' staff members, who, when reacting to the recent crimes, simply said, "It reminds me of home."

Time and time again, expatriates interviewed for this newspaper's Person of the Day column have remarked that one of the things they like most about the Cayman Islands is how safe it is. 

One needs only to stroll the streets and beaches of Grand Cayman between 5 and 6 am any weekday morning to realise the confidence many people have in the safety of this country. At that early hour, before the sun even comes up, hundreds of walkers and joggers, many of them lone females, can be found getting their morning exercise, without feeling any danger to their person.

This pre-dawn walking phenomenon, while taken for granted here, would not be found in many places in the world for fear of crime, and even in places where it is, the walkers and joggers often feel it necessary to arm themselves with mace, pepper spray, or other defensive implements.

In fact, according to 2002 statistics in the United States, 22 percent of all victims of violent crime occur to people involved in some form of leisure activity away from home at the time of their victimisation. That percentage is much, much lower here in Cayman.

Although it is true that there is considerably more crime in Cayman now than in years gone by, and that wise residents here now realise they must lock the doors of their houses and cars, everything is relative, and in relation to most other places in the world, this country remains very safe. 

Yes, it is safer here than in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Honduras, but it is also statistically safer here than in many developed countries, including the United States.

Violent crimes such as rape are still extremely rare here. Robberies in Cayman, even when armed, seldom result in injury. The victims of most murders, which are still low in overall number, generally happen to people involved in illegal activities such as drugs.

For the most part, law-abiding residents of the Cayman Islands can go about their daily routines without having an excessive fear of crime affecting the normal course of their lives, and for this, we should all be appreciative. 

Recent events, however, should serve as notice that we cannot become complacent just because innocent victims of violent crimes in this country are low percentage wise. Armed robberies and home invasions by armed perpetrators are warning signs that must be heeded if we are to keep Cayman safe from criminals.

Perhaps the local businesses whose success depends on the selling point of Cayman's safety could write into their budget an amount that could be expended on crime prevention through education or other means, instead of depending solely on Government for a cure.

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