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Drugs still a major issue in West Bay
Friday, June 9, 2006
Deputy Commissioners Anthony Ennis and Rudolph
Dixon chat with a resident after the RCIPS Community
meeting in West Bay.
Residents were still very concerned about the misuse of drugs in their neighbourhood at a recent meeting with police officers.
"It's sad to see so many of our past students stoned out of their minds, walking around, at 9:30 in the morning," was one of the comments made by one person who came to the forum.
The mood was often sombre as residents lamented what a "sorrowful situation with drugs West Bay has had for too many years."
Although most of the examples had to do with young people, contributors to the discussion were sympathetic, rather than accusatory.
"I have a heart of respect and love for young people," said one resident. Another explained that when they see any child in this mess they are hurt.
"There must be something we can do to curb this. In every other family in West Bay there is hurt because of drugs," she said.
That contributor at the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) Community meeting, held at the Church of God Chapel on Town Hall Road, then went on to give details on a young drug addict she knew - whose child she was caring for.
"I am now taking care of a little boy whose mother was a clean girl, and now she is gone into drugs. That child is now eleven and does not know where his mother is. He only knows his Mom is gone."
Yet she pointed out young boys are riding around on bicycles and others who clearly have drugs and wondered how there was such easy access to them in the district.
"People have been reporting these two places for a long time. You pass there and you smell smoke because they don't want you to smell the drugs."
Another contributor asked the police to clamp down on the persons who wait unit dusk to burn rubber pointing out that so many children are allergic to the smoke and are asthmatic.
"It is very unbearable," the resident said.
Another contributor - identifying herself as the Principal of John A Cumber Primary School - also spoke about drugs in the district and its effect on the school.
She made reference to the police-run, anti-drug, DARE programme in schools and said she was grateful for it but was concerned it wasn't reaching all students.
"Because of unruly behaviour, a lot of our students don't get to participate."
She also described a situation she had seen for some time - presenting images that saddened the group and had some nodding in agreement.
"I see children coming from drug homes sleepy, abused and unfed," she said.
"Many of them, when they leave us at age eleven or twelve, they move on to the streets. We (shouldn't) wait until they are teenagers to support them."
Moving on to the need for increased security at the school because unwanted people enter and leave the school at will, she said more visible police patrols were needed around the school. "We need to know the school is safe. (Strangers) can come in one way and leave the other. Sometimes we call and there is no response."
The principal also said that past students of the school, who knew the compound, were coming there to do "night business."
She made a plea for the police to be involved in a type of mentoring programme because there were many without a father figure.
"They would look up to you," she said to the officers.
Another contributor from the group suggested that an officer be specially assigned to respond to calls from the school.
One resident - on hearing from Superintendent Ken Hall about drugs coming on Island by boat - moved the discussion from the district, to national and international levels. He said that illegal drugs form "the third leg of the Cayman economy" and "people in high places were involved."
Based on his assumption he then said that that was the reason why requisite funds were not being spent on border control for many years.
"The people who are bringing it in don't use it and are getting rich off it. I know three right now who do strictly drugs."
Police Commissioner, Stuart Kernohan responded by making reference to Finance Committee's increased budget allocations to address border security.
"To protect (our borders) is doable, but, to secure them is a different thing. Being an island community ...to totally secure our borders is a different proposition altogether," Mr Kernohan said.
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