Old Harbour car-stealing ring dismantled
Published:Wednesday | August 2, 2023 | 12:07 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
The Old Harbour police in St Catherine are urging citizens to take more care in securing their vehicles following the dismantling of a major car-theft ring on Sunday in Church Pen where 11 vehicles were seized.
“We implore persons to put trackers on your vehicles, secure your vehicles as best as practicable and any suspicious activity of persons you see in your space, just inform the police and we will come and do our investigation,” Superintendent Hopeton Nicholson, head of the St Catherine South Police Division, told The Gleaner.
He said the police, following several leads, conducted a number of enquiries that led them to the area.
The seized vehicles include six Nissan AD wagons, a Nissan Tiida, a Mitsubishi Lancer, two Toyota Wish, and a Toyota Avensis. Along with these, police also recovered a substantial cache of car parts, also believed to be stolen.
Two men have been arrested in connection with the seizure, Nicholson shared, with one of them expected to be charged today with receiving stolen property.
He said the police are still investigating the other man’s role in the crime.
“Treating with these matters, sometimes it takes a little bit of technicality and so the investigators are doing all they can,” he said.
Stating that this is the first time a raid of such magnitude has happened in Old Harbour, Nicholson is warning criminals not to view the town as a safe haven for their unlawful acts.
“The police will be vigilant, the police will be stopping and checking. They’ve been checking garages, they’ve been checking persons going in and out of the division. Anywhere the information takes us, we’re gonna liaison with the experts from the stolen motor vehicle unit,” he said. “Our detectives who are so trained will also be checking vehicles to see if they are tampered with, and we just want to make the entire community safe so persons can continue to live in peace.”
The Old Harbour Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) has taken over the case and is currently conducting investigations into the operations.
In the meantime, the police are urging residents who have reported their cars stolen to come forward and identify if their vehicles match the descriptions of the confiscated cars. In a bid to return these vehicles to their rightful owners, the Old Harbour police have set up a hotline.
Anyone whose vehicle was stolen is urged to contact the Old Harbour Police Station at 876-203-3659.