News

Operation Quaker continued this past weekend, marking the fifth week of the targeted road safety and enforcement campaign, which began on 28 May in response to a noticeable increase in serious and fatal motor vehicle collisions on our roadways. The operation has been supported by various agencies, media outlets and the public as a whole, with a focus on holding road users accountable when caught speeding or driving under the influence.

This weekend, including holiday Monday, 5 July (Constitution Day), six arrests were made for DUI, just fewer than 60 tickets were issued, with the majority of offenses captured being speeding and expired registration. Additionally, 10 collisions were reported and dealt with. Overall, for the weeks that the operation has been carried out, officers have issued just under 300 tickets, arrested over 50 drivers for DUI and responded to over 200 collisions.

“Our officers have noticed a change in driving behaviours and the gradual reduction in the enforcement numbers shows this,” says Inspector Dwayne Jones (Traffic and Roads Policing Unit). “I hope that this is an indication that drivers are taking safe driving seriously, and that this pattern of good driving behaviour will continue. Nevertheless, our Traffic and Roads Policing Officers will continue to make prosecutions for DUI and speeding a priority, in an effort to minimise road fatalities and other serious collisions.”

“In order to make Operation Quaker a success, additional officers were brought on board to maximise police presence on the roads during key times of high activity,” says Acting Superintendent Brad Ebanks (Uniform and Specialist Operations). “This increase allowed us to do regular spot checks and increased enforcement while continuing to respond to other calls for service. While Operation Quaker will not be continuing in its current form, we are now transitioning to a more targeted and long-term road safety policing strategy, utilising the findings from the operation.”

The RCIPS would like to thank the National Roads Authority for their assistance in displaying road safety messages in various locations throughout the campaign, along with the other agencies, media outlets and the public, for their support during Operation Quaker. We look forward to your continued support as we work towards “Making the Cayman Islands Safer.”