Hurricane Preparedness

Law enforcement and security

The RCIPS is charged with enforcement of the laws of the Cayman Islands and maintaining public safety during a storm or natural disaster. The duties of the RCIPS are many and varied but include shelter security, protecting critical infrastructure and ensuring rapid high-visibility policing deployment post hurricane.

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The RCIPS also engages in Search & Rescue duties and will assist with helping people out of difficult conditions.

The RCIPS will also assist in searching for survivors in areas where people stayed in their homes or sheltered in buildings that were heavily damaged or destroyed.

Following a storm or natural disaster the RCIPS will assist in protecting critical locales, including those for water, fuel, electricity, and communications The RCIPS has many plans in place and are more prepared than ever to respond in an emergency situation.

To assist and support the RCIPS in its efforts, the Cayman Islands community is urged to consider the following points:

Know when to call 9-1-1.

Emergency personnel cannot come out in the middle of a storm, so take proper precautions in advance of the storm. If you call 9-1-1 during the storm, your call will be noted for action when it is safe, so please follow up, notifying 9-1-1 of your situation when the storm abates.

Keep 9-1-1 updated.

If you have called 9-1-1 for urgent assistance and then move to another location, call them back and let them know; otherwise, emergency personnel will spend valuable hours looking for you when they could be helping the next person in need instead.

Be prepared for stringent enforcement.

The RCIPS will not tolerate criminal activity and those found engaging in illegal acts will be dealt with using the full force of the law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will there be police in the hurricane shelters?

Yes. Police will be deployed once shelters are opened. Officers will provide security management within the shelter for the duration of the storm or natural disaster.

What is a state of emergency?

In the face of an impending strike by a major hurricane, other action likely to endanger public safety or in the immediate aftermath of another type of disaster, the Governor may, as a precaution, issue a “Proclamation of Emergency”. This allows the Governor to expedite actions in the interests of public safety and security, including the acquisition or distribution of goods. The provisions of the proclamation may be applied to facilitating any other purpose deemed essential to good governance.

Why might a curfew be imposed?

Police law allows for the provisions of curfews and cordons. These will be imposed by the Commissioner of Police if he believes that it the interest of public safety and public order or for the purpose of preventing and detecting crime. The Commissioner may establish a cordon around certain locations or impose a curfew throughout the islands, on any of the islands or in respect of any district or any place within any district on any of the islands.

Can the police arrest you if you refuse to leave an area deemed unsafe?

Yes. The Governor may declare an area unsafe and direct that it be evacuated by a specific time. Under the police law any person who, without proper authorization, enters or is found in an unsafe area or refuses to leave an unsafe area is guilty of an offence. On summary conviction such an individual would be liable to either a fine of two thousand dollars or a two-year prison term, or both.

More Information

For more information about hurricanes in the Cayman Islands click here.

Last Updated: 2011-02-01

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