Bermuda Police officers are continuing to enforce the law in the hurricane ravaged Cayman Islands ? and in addition to regular duties they are helping local Police search for a convicted murderer and rapist.

Speaking to from the Cayman Islands yesterday, Chief Inspector Michael DeSilva said the 11 officers had been working with 26 other officers from overseas territories including the Turks and Caicos and the British Virgin Islands. The Bermuda group was working a 12-hour night shift enforcing a curfew and helping to prevent looting and stealing.

This afternoon officers will arrive back in Bermuda on board XL Capital Ltd.?s private jet at 4.30 p.m. Chief Insp. DeSilva said guarding the local prison became a high priority for local officers as the power outage during Ivan was used to their advantage. In addition to guarding potential sites for looting, such as upscale boutiques and jewellery stores, the Police also had an intelligence team hot on the inmates? trail.

?We?ve had a couple of sightings of the prisoners. We searched a university dorm where they were hiding but we missed them by one night,? said Chief Insp. DeSilva.

Water is in short supply but the officers say there are many positive highlights to their experience considering the hundreds of residents who still remain homeless.

?We have a dry bed, and that?s the most positive part of the experience,? said Chief Insp. DeSilva.

All of the officers were armed, and although he would not give details of their weapons, Chief Insp. DeSilva said they would be able to respond appropriately if the need arose.

Chief Insp. DeSilva said the main challenges had been finding a quiet place to sleep over the constant buzz of chainsaws and the lack of air conditioning. They have had to ration fresh water for drinking and bathing, and have been taking baths in the sea to help conserve supplies.

While power is steadily being restored in the capital of George Town, the destruction caused by Ivan has made restoring power to areas outside the city a challenge. Many areas are still in darkness, hence the need for a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew that the officers have to enforce. ?The crisis is over in terms of supply but the catastrophic damage is still a reality for these residents,? said Chief Insp. DeSilva. ?So many buildings have been destroyed and hundreds of people are still displaced from their homes which have been flattened. The Cayman people are very responsible, they are observing the curfew although it is now in the third week which must be frustrating.?

The Bermuda officers have made arrests including three for a lumber yard break-in, several curfew violations, and ten arrests on suspicion of stealing.

Chief Insp. DeSilva said many Island hotels and churches had been turned into temporary shelters.

Hotels which were not occupied by the homeless, such as the Marriott in George Town, where the officers were staying, were providing accommodation for relief workers.

In such a low lying area as the Cayman Islands, roads were totally destroyed by Ivan?s massive storm swells. Chief Insp. DeSilva said one of the first observations the 11 officers made when they arrived were huge banks of sand piles which had been blown up in the high winds. Parts of the Island?s roads had even been turned into beaches.

So what should the Regiment troops who are interested in helping out in Cayman expect?

Chief Insp. DeSilva said they should come prepared for massive destruction and although the Island was beginning to put itself back together it may take longer due to the Island?s closeness to sea level.