Outcomes - Selected Case Summaries
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Police Seizure of ICT Devices
Investigation | 12 August 2020
Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS)
A man who was arrested for ICT offences complained that his electronic devices had been seized by the police. He said that he had asked for a receipt but was told he was not entitled to one. Multiple requests to have the devices returned were denied, he said. He alleged that the investigation into his case was not dealt with in an expeditious manner.
The RCIPS had the right to arrest, seize and retain the electronic devices. Part of the delay in having the devices returned was caused by a delay in accessing data on the phones due to the decision of the complainant to refuse investigating officers’ access to his cell phone access code. This was within the complainant’s right to do, but it did cause a delay in the processing of any evidence contained on the device. The Ombudsman was satisfied that the RCIPS was actively investigating this matter in a diligent manner and did not support the complaint.