Cops believe cross-border robbers targeting churches in St James
Published:Tuesday | April 14, 2026 | 12:36 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, police commander for St James, is appealing to churches and communities to help the police to apprehend thieves who are committing multiple break-ins – even targetting churches.
Samuels, who was speaking at last week’s St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) meeting, said that information received by the police suggests that the perpetrators are operating on a cross-border basis.
“In the Adelphi and Amity Hall area, we recognised the trend several weeks ago and we put something in place for it, and then we realised that it started moving to different divisions and that the persons have changed a bit in terms of the locations. They are not attacking the churches as much now, but they are moving to other areas, so we have put a task force in place to see if we can identify the persons,” said Samuels.
“We strongly believe they may be persons coming from outside the division, based on the fact that it is cross-border, but at the same time we have asked our patrols to pay keen attention to churches,” said Samuels. “These persons will come and scope out the area before they actually do the crime, so we are asking that when you see strange persons within the community, please contact the police. We want the churches and the communities to assist us in finding these persons as well.”
Samuels made the call after Michael Allen, councillor for the Somerton division, told the meeting that there has been an increase in break-ins in his division over recent weeks.
“In my space, there is an uptick of break-ins, quite a few churches, and now bars, and the main thing they are taking is appliances and equipment,” said Allen. “The latest break-in was at a newly opened water store in Lima two nights ago (April 7), and the residents are keeping an eye out to see if they can catch the culprits, but we are asking for a little more help.”
The issue of church break-ins was previously raised at March’s monthly meeting of the StJMC, where it was reported that a would-be burglar, who tried to break into a church in Barrett Town, was shot dead by the police.
Samuels also told meeting that domestic disputes continue to pose a challenge for the St James police, citing recent incidents in Barrett Town as particularly worrisome.
“We are still battling with the domestic disputes and with those interactions causing incidents. As it stands now, we are at 18 murders, compared to 17 murders last year,” said Samuels. “The Barrett Town area is an area of concern for us, and we are implementing curfews and doing operational activities to cauterise that.
“We have had about four or five major incidents … and it is stemming from a dispute; it is not a gang situation, but it involves gangsters. We are trying some interventions to ensure that the community itself can feel safe and secure,” he added.