Top cop promises ‘Changes Coming’

Tuesday,  December 6, 2005

Police Commissioner, Stuart Kernohan, has come to the end of his first round of face-to-face sessions with community members throughout the Islands and he closed the meetings with a promise for change.

Speaking at the last in the series of Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) Community Meetings, held in East End on 1 December, he said, “There is a recognition that some things need to change.”

Mr Kernohan was responding to a member of the public who complained that some issues being raised again at the meeting were brought to the attention of the RCIPS before and remained unaddressed.

This is not the first time the Commissioner was hearing this at these sessions and he and Deputy Commissioner, Anthony Ennis have been apologising throughout that things were not being addressed.

One apology followed by a promise for change came when Mr Kernohan realised that an officer for the district of North Side was removed and not replaced, without any communication to district members.

Member of the Legislative Assembly for North Side, Edna Moyle, spoke on behalf of the district when she said, “I just don’t think we should have to wait six months to hear about an officer. This is totally unacceptable.”

In response, Mr Kernohan said that he guaranteed that the communication process would improve. 

“For us to have to come to you to say we removed an officer without talking about it…there must be an apology attached to that,” said the Commissioner.

Mr Ennis was also in an apologetic mood at the West Bay meeting after a member of the community complained of waiting on an insurance report for eight weeks. 

“Things like this should not happen,” said the West Bay resident.

At that same meeting when a member of the community had to ask who the community police officer was for the district, Mr Kernohan’s response also indicated change for the future. 

“I am disappointed you don’t know who yours is. That is not your fault. It is ours,” the Commissioner lamented.

Another apology and promise for change came from RCIPS chiefs when a resident complained of his road being used as a racetrack. The resident said that when they called the police on one occasion, the officer’s response was that he was awaiting a response from his seniors.

“I cannot understand why an officer would say that. We have to find out when and why these things are done,” said Mr Kernohan.

Mr Ennis offered yet another apology in West Bay when residents complained of cyclists riding without lights and the difficulties they were causing. 

“We probably have been turning a blind eye to that but now, as the Commissioner has said, we must clamp down and people without lights must be prosecuted,” promised Mr Ennis.

Acknowledging that there was need for change in another area of RCIPS operations, Mr Kernohan spoke about breaking the cycle of mistrust.

“Unless people have trust in the police service, people won’t trust giving us information.”

Demonstrating that change is on the way, the Commissioner told residents they could give information anonymously after officers had insisted one resident give her name.

“If you want to make a report anonymously, you have every right to do that,” said Mr Kernohan, though he was at pains to explain that getting as much information as possible from the caller would bode well for improving the RCIPS’ Call and Response systems – the process by which residents are kept abreast of progress on complaints or reports.

At the North Side meeting former independent political candidate, Bo Derrington Miller, said, “Hats off for admitting you made mistakes,” but he added, “You are trying to out fires we have created thirty years ago. This country has a history of unsolved crimes. There are fundamental changes to be made. To get results you’re going to step on some toes.”

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