Outcomes - Selected Case Summaries
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Explanation of police powers at school leads to informal resolution
Informal Resolution | 31 March 2021
Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS)
A complainant contacted us following the arrest of their child at school. The child had been searched, arrested, and put in a police vehicle which contained a security cage.
The complainant sought answers and explanations as to the legality and policy of such actions carried out by the police during school hours.
Our investigators assessed this complaint and identified a senior member of the teaching staff who provided an eyewitness account. It was established that the police acted lawfully, proportionately and within the guidelines accepted by the Education Ministry for dealing with such matters. In relation to the use of a caged police vehicle it was further explained that it is police policy that all persons who are detained and taken to the Detention Centre must travel in this way for the safety of themselves and the transporting officers. Following this explanation and the independent account from the teacher, the complainant and the police officer agreed to resolve the matter informally, and the case was closed.