Residents and business owners are being urged to join forces with the RCIPS to combat burglaries in the Cayman Islands.

In a move designed to make people more security conscious, and reduce the opportunities available to burglars to convert stolen goods into cash, the RCIPS is launching a new crime prevention initiative later this week.

Neighbourhood Officers will be at various locations throughout the Islands on Friday (14 December 2012) to meet with members of the community and discuss crime prevention issues. They will also encourage people to take part in a new scheme where they can voluntarily lodge details of their valuables and electronics with the RCIPS. The collation of property details – to include make, model, serial number and descriptions – will, if a burglary does take place, help officers quickly track down that property when the burglar attempts to make a fast buck by selling it on.

People who attend the event on Friday will be provided with property forms – aptly named NAB forms (Neighbours Against Burglary). They will be asked to complete the forms and then return them to their local police station. The information will be logged in a database which will be available to the RCIPS investigation teams.

Officers will also be taking steps to encourage retailers to maintain a database of the property they sell, again to include serial numbers. In addition, they will be asked to include serial numbers on the receipts of the goods they sell. Officers will be visiting business premises throughout all three islands in the next few days to request that staff sign-up to the scheme.

“From 1 January – 25 November this year 408 burglaries were reported in the Cayman Islands, representing a decrease of 43 when compared to the same period in 2011,” said Chief Inspector Frank Owens. “The number of homes and businesses being violated by burglars is still a serious concern for the RCIPS. That’s why it’s important that we continue to do all that we can to make sure people are provided with the right information about how to make their homes and business more secure.

“This is about us all working together to reduce the opportunities available to would-be burglars. If we can collectively take some simple crime prevention steps to make our premises less vulnerable we will reduce the opportunities available to those burglars. If a break-in does occur, then the database of property will help cut off the options available for burglars to sell on their stolen goods. That, in turn,  means that the odds of them being caught and hauled before the courts greatly increase.”

Mr Owens has also issued a warning to people who may be tempted to buy items privately. ”If you are offered items for sale privately the onus is on you to satisfy yourself that the sale is legitimate. If the item is being offered at a price that just seems too good to be true, or the seller can’t provide proof of where he or she purchased it, then it may be stolen property. If you decide to take the risk and buy it then you too could end up facing charges in court and ultimately spend time in jail”

Officers will be at the following locations between 11.30am –  2.00pm on Friday, 14 December.

• Fosters Supermarket, Airport.
• Kirks Supermarket, Eastern Avenue.
• Hurley’s Supermarket, Shamrock Road.
• Fosters Supermarket, Country Side, Savannah.
• Republics Plaza, West Bay.
• Fosters Supermarket, East End.
• Tibbett’s Supermarket, Cayman Brac.

Everyone is encouraged to go along and talk about crime prevention issues with the Neighbourhood Officers. Those who can’t make it to the event can contact their local police station for advice. NAB forms are also available on the RCIPS website and can be uplifted from local police stations from Friday 14 December.