Black Immigrant Daily News

The Cayman arrest of a St Catherine Jamaica man who had been allegedly involved in multiple murders in Jamaica has raised numerous concerns among members of the local community, particularly with respect to criminals from neighboring islands perceiving Cayman as a “safe haven” or “hide out” and the associated risks, particularly with respect to how dangerous the most recent fugutive has been reported to be.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) confirmed that Rudolph Shaw, otherwise called ‘Boxer’ or ‘Boxa’, 30, was captured in the vicinity of Seymour Road, George Town on Friday, July 8, after a brief showdown with armed police officers.

Shaw, of Homestead in Spanish Town, St Catherine was wanted for murder and shooting with intent with respect to to two incidents committed at 31 St Johns Road in St Catherine in September 2021 and May 2022. He was also one of three men who were charged with the April 2019 murder of Romaine ‘Pancho’ Robinson, which the police said was gang-related.

Shaw was captured at around 12:30pm during a targeted operation by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service following a collaboration between Jamaican law enforcement, the Jamaican police reported.

It is reported that officers from the Firearms Response Unit travelling in a marked service vehicle approached a vehicle with two occupants, one of whom was the wanted man. The two men attempted to evade the lawmen and rammed into the police vehicle, causing their own vehicle to become disabled. Police captured Shaw, but the other man escaped on foot and remains on the loose.

The JCF said Shaw was previously pursued in Jamaica by the Joint Anti-Gang Task Force (JAGTF) and other Police units but managed to elude capture before leaving the island by boat.

“This was a collaborative process, which ultimately led to his capture. Shaw is wanted in connection with multiple murders and several incidents of shootings in St Catherine, and is considered to be one of the most wanted men in both Police divisions in the parish.”

After pursuing several lines of investigation, in addition to boosting public awareness through social media publications, information was received that Shaw was in the Cayman Islands. He was originally arrested for an immigration offense, sparking local concerns around the way the matter was handled.

Issues have been raised around the fact that since he was charged with Cayman immigration offenses, authorities were required to release him due to legal stipulations around his arrest and the nature of the crime for which he was locally charged. He was re-arrested for drug related offenses.

Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown responded to local concerns, stating, “The Cayman Islands is not a safe haven for criminals. We are working with our colleagues in Jamaica on this case and believe the man arrived on island by boat. An active search is underway to locate and arrest the other person. It’s a criminal offence to aid or assist a person who is wanted by the authorities, including those who are here illegally.”

The public is being reminded that according to the Police Act (2021 Revision), it is an offense to obstruct, mislead or act in such a way as to prevent the apprehension of a person who has committed an offense. If prosecuted under this section, you may be liable on conviction to a fine of $5000 or imprisonment for two years or both.

Investigators are encouraging anyone with information about these men to call the George Town Police Station at 949-4222 or dial 9-1-1, specifically if the circumstances are time sensitive. The Confidential Tip Line can be contacted at 949-7777.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Inter Caribbean Airways is pleased to announce the appointment of Irvine Griffith as Country Manager – Barbados. CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP FOR NEWS UPDATES.

Griffith who has worked in different positions with BWIA International Airways, Liat, Caribbean Express and most recently with GCG Ground Services, brings over three decades of experience to Inter Caribbean Airways.

“We continually seek out talented and experienced individuals that can help us keep our commitment to providing the kind of service that our customers need and expect and Mr. Griffith was the ideal candidate for our company,” said Chairman, Lyndon Gardiner.

Since 1980 Griffith has also been a Ground School Instructor in Aerodynamics and Aircraft Performance with the Private Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers and a Director of the St Clair Winston Aviation Consultants.

“Our Country Manager will be authorized to perform quality service in relation to the business of the Company, commensurate with his position as he engages with clients throughout the Caribbean and beyond,” quipped Gardiner.

Inter Caribbean was established in 1991 and operates within Antigua, The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Maarten.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Official data published by UN agencies on Friday shows the largest sustained decline in childhood vaccination rates in approximately 30 years, with 25 million infants missing out on lifesaving shots.

The figures released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, show the percentage of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) – a marker for immunization coverage within and across countries – fell five points between 2019 and 2021, to 81 per cent.

The 25 million children who missed out on doses of DTP through routine immunization services last year, is two million more than in 2020, and six million more than in 2019, “highlighting the growing number of children at risk from devastating but preventable diseases”, said a press release issued by the UN agencies.

‘Red alert for health’

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The decline was due to many factors including an increased number of children living in conflict and fragile settings where immunization access is often challenging.

Increased misinformation on social media and COVID-19 related issues such as service and supply chain disruptions, resources being diverted, and containment measures that limited access to jabs, also played a part.

“This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunization in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.

“While a pandemic hangover was expected last year as a result of COVID-19 disruptions and lockdowns, what we are seeing now is a continued decline.

COVID is no excuse

“COVID-19 is not an excuse. We need immunization catch-ups for the missing millions, or we will inevitably witness more outbreaks, more sick children and greater pressure on already strained health systems.”

Some 18 million of the 25 million children missing out, did not receive a single dose of DTP during the year, the vast majority of whom live in low and middle-income countries, with India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ethiopia and the Philippines recording the highest numbers, the agencies note.

Myanmar and Mozambique are among the countries with the largest relative increases in children who did not receive a single vaccine between 2019 and 2021.

Grave consequencesGlobally, over a quarter of the coverage of HPV vaccines that was achieved in 2019 has been lost.

This has grave consequences for the health of women and girls, as global coverage of the first dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is only 15 per cent, despite the availability of a vaccine for the past 15 years on the global market.

The agencies said they had hoped 2021 “would be a year of recovery during which strained immunization programmes would rebuild” following the first year of the pandemic, but instead, DTP3 coverage was set back to its lowest level since 2008 which, along with declines in coverage for other basic vaccines, pushed the world off-track to meet global goals, including the immunization indicator for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Rising malnutrition

The decline in immunization is happening against a backdrop of rapidly rising rates of severe acute malnutrition.

“A malnourished child already has weakened immunity and missed vaccinations can mean common childhood illnesses quickly become lethal to them. The convergence of a hunger crisis with a growing immunization gap threatens to create the conditions for a child survival crisis.”

Regional picture

Vaccine coverage dropped in every region, with the East Asia and Pacific recording the steepest decline, down nine per cent in just two years.

“Planning and tackling COVID-19 should also go hand-in-hand with vaccinating for killer diseases like measles, pneumonia and diarrhoea,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “It’s not a question of either/or, it’s possible to do both”.

Some countries successfully maintained a high rate of coverage in routine immunizations, such as Uganda, which managed to roll out a targeted COVID-19 vaccination programme to protect priority populations, including health workers.

Pakistan returned to pre-pandemic levels of coverage thanks to high-level government commitment and significant catch-up immunization efforts.

Monumental efforts will be required to reach universal levels of coverage and to prevent outbreaks, the WHO and UNICEF warned.

Inadequate coverage levels have already resulted in avoidable outbreaks of measles and polio in the past 12 months, underscoring the vital role of immunization in keeping children, adolescents, adults, and societies healthy.

Global Immunization Agenda

WHO and UNICEF are working with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and other partners to deliver the global Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030), a strategy for all countries and relevant global partners to achieve set goals on preventing diseases through immunization and delivering vaccines to everyone, everywhere, at every age.

“It’s heart-breaking to see more children losing out on protection from preventable diseases for a second year in a row. The priority of the Alliance must be to help countries to maintain, restore and strengthen routine immunization alongside executing ambitious COVID-19 vaccination plans, not just through vaccines but also tailored structural support for the health systems that will administer them,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Solutions for recovery

The UN and partners are calling on governments and health partners worldwide to:

·Intensify efforts for catch-up vaccination to address backsliding on routine immunization, and expand outreach services in underserved areas.

·Implement evidence-based, people-centred, and tailored strategies to build trust in vaccines and immunization, counter misinformation and increase vaccine uptake particularly among vulnerable groups.

·Ensure current pandemic preparedness and response and the global health architecture strengthening efforts lead to investment in primary health care (PHC) services.

·Ensure political commitment from national governments and increase resources to strengthen and sustain immunization programmes.

·Prioritize health information and disease surveillance systems to provide the data and monitoring needed for programmes to have maximum impact.

Leverage and increase investment in research to develop and improve new and existing vaccines and immunization services that can achieve community needs and deliver on IA2030 goals.

Source: UN News/ SLT. Headline photo: Stock image

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