A new three-phase Community Policing initiative has been taken in Anguilla to identify property of home-owners or residents stolen either for the use of the robbers themselves or for sale on the black market.

The initiative is called The Property Identification Programme (PIP) whereby a written record is kept of all valuable property within homes by the owners and the police. The programme was launched on Monday, August 28, by two officers of the Royal Anguilla Police Service: Constables Randy Jayois and James Joyce. They were stationed at the lobby of the General Post Office where they met with members of the public, told them about the initiative and issued them with forms for completion.

“Basically, it is an initiative that we are setting up involving handing out these blue leaflets,” Constable Joyce told persons as they entered the area. “You take them home and list all your expensive items. You record the serial numbers, make, model or other special marks of all electrical or other items. There is also a special section for jewellery such as bracelets or watches. It is a three-pronged initiative. The first option is you just take one of these forms and after filling it, you can keep it safe. Alternatively you can give us a photo copy of this form and we can enter it onto our confidential computer and keep it safely for you.

“The last option is that we can come out to you and, using ultra violet pens, mark a code on some of the larger items. People are not going to steal from you because they know that you have all your property recorded and may even be marked as well. If you are robbed and we recover the property we can look in our computer system, run an ultra light over the equipment, find out who owned it and return it to you.”

The Constable told The Anguillian that the initiative was a long-term campaign. “This is the first day that we are publicising it. We have already spoken to numerous supermarkets around the Valley and as far as West End. We are going to be travelling around with displays of posters and forms in supermarkets, the Post Office and also at the police stations where the forms can be picked up. It is all free and is an effort to try to keep a lid on crime. It is all aimed at reducing and preventing crime and making people safer.”

Items listed on the forms to be recorded and marked, include television sets, stereo sets, video, DVD and CD players, games consoles, computer equipment, cameras, mobile phones, hair dryers and bicycles. In addition, as previously stated, there is a section on the form for earrings, rings, chains, bracelets and watches.

The PIP service is being offered by the Resident Beat Officers and the other members of the Community Policing Team. The initiative is regarded as a welcome effort to stem the tide of burglary which has been a constant plague on the island for some time.

Police officers explaining new initiative

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