LC’s Criminal Justice Seminar begins with a tour of Coast Guard headquarters
“The Class of 2024 wanted to try something new,” said the Chamber’s Swan Sandoval who organizes the course. “They went to the new Coastguard building, and met Commander Robert Scotland and Midshipman Christopher McTaggard who took them on a tour of the headquarters, visiting the warehouse where they store all of the boats and equipment. The participants spoke to the mechanics and maintenance professionals, who are vital to the Coastguard operation. They saw some of the radars that are used and learnt some of the protocols used during search and rescue.”
The class also got to go on a short excursion out on the sea in the patrol boats and witnessed, firsthand the Coast Guards in action. “They felt an immense sense of pride for their national border defense and learned about just how much criminal activity is handled by the coastguard every day and what a good job they do in defending us,” Sandoval said. “The left reassured that that Cayman Islands were in such safe hands.”
The dinner and seminar at Signal House in George Town later in the evening gave LC’s Class of 24 an overview of Cayman’s criminal justice system. Speakers for the evening included Commissioner of Police, Kurt Walton; Chief Magistrate, Angelyn Hernandez; and Anti-Corruption Commission, Senior Investigator, Richard Oliver
The seminar focused around three pillars: The history and role of the RCIPS; The structure of the judiciary, and the role of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The students explored insights into how guns are entering the country, discussed gun laws and resent rules surrounding gun importation and the key players in these incidents. Connections between drug smuggling, selling and gun-crime were also explored, and there was a look at the networks that support and profit from local drug trade.