Outcomes - Selected Case Summaries
Categories
Unreasonable use of force
Investigation | 19 October 2018
Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS)
Following a routine roadside check, officers formed the opinion that the complainant may have been impaired through alcohol. The driver also failed to provide proof of insurance and vehicle registration. The exchange between the officers and the driver became heated after the driver refused to be breathalysed. A struggle ensued. The driver was arrested and taken to a police station. A further altercation took place at the police station between the driver and one of the arresting officers. The incident happened in the custody area of the station where the driver was struck repeatedly with a police baton.
The Ombudsman rejected the officer’s version of events when he claimed he was acting in self-defense. She concluded that other options were available to the officer, particularly because the driver was in police custody and unarmed. The Ombudsman found the amount of force used by the officer was unreasonable and she recommended the Commissioner of Police consider disciplinary action. The Police Commissioner accepted the Ombudsman’s recommendations.