Police in Anguilla are making every effort to find the persons who are stealing various valuable items from homes, business places and construction sites and to possibly recover the stolen property.

Police Officials at Wednesday’s Press Briefing

Commenting on the continuing upsurge in thefts and burglaries throughout the island, Head of the Police Task Force, Superintendent Rudolph Proctor, told reporters on Wednesday: “This is a warning to those persons who may be inclined to assist other persons in taking the stolen property off the island. We are going to work very closely with our counterparts in various Caribbean jurisdictions in an attempt to intercept these items based on the quality of what has been stolen.

“We have already started the process and will be vigorously pursuing the persons who have stolen these items. We are working on every inch and pinch of information that we get from the CID, Task Force and other operational departments. We are appealing for any information on suspicious persons and vehicle movements in your area any time of the day or night. That’s the only way we can act. Two days or two months later cannot help us.”

Proctor was responding to various reports of thefts and burglaries on the island read out to the media by Sergeant Randolph Yearwood of the CID.

Yearwood reported that during the period April 16-23 there were 15 crimes. Five burglaries occurred in the villages of South Hill, Meads Bay and the Farrington. Items stolen were four laptop computers, three Ipods, one Panasonic stereo receiver, a Sony DVD player, two Blackberry Curve cellular phones and one Panasonic flat television set.

In another case, two Dell Computers were stolen, a number of portable DVD players, an unknown number of digital cameras, an unknown quantity of speakers, MP3 players, two PSP games, three Makita grinders, one microwave oven and one large suitcase.

There were five reports of theft at Pond Ground, Deep Waters, West End and Island Harbour. Among the stolen items were two wooden doors, one pump, one BlackBerry cellular phone, a number of 16-foot 2x4 lengths of wood and US$225. One crime was solved by police. The person was arrested and granted bail.

There was one report of wounding and four reports of criminal damage to two vehicles and household items.

Three persons were arrested during the period: one male to prevent a breach of the peace; another male for driving under the influence of alcohol and a female for theft.

TASK FORCE MATTERS

Inspector Paul Sinclair of the Task Force said it was a busy week and the assistance of the CID and Beat and Patrol officers was obtained to deal with various matters. He reported that two search warrants were issued on Wednesday morning with a view to detecting some of the stolen property. “It was an intelligence-led operation and as a result of that, one person is assisting the police with their enquiries but I must stress that no property has been recovered in relation to the burglaries,” he said. “There will be a lot of police ‘proactivity’ and we will respond accordingly to the upsurge in crime.”

The Inspector continued: “As part of our gang disruption tactics, a further warrant was executed. As a result, two sets of body armour have been recovered. They are identical in colour and shape to the type we use and although we cannot say that the property has been stolen, we will now need to carry out a full inventory of our supplies to ensure that they do not belong to the police. One person is currently assisting with enquiries.”

Inspector Sinclair said five cannabis plants were recovered in the South Hill area and the matter was part of an ongoing enquiry.

He reported that police responded to a call from West End where a tourist, who was snorkeling with his family, discovered a light firearm some 20 feet from the shore and at a depth of about five or six feet of water. The very badly-corroded .22 calibre weapon was found with its trigger guard missing.

“We can’t say how long it has been in the water except to say some considerable time,” Sinclair stated. “What I would like to do is to appeal to anyone who may have any knowledge of that weapon in recent years to possibly shed some light on its origin,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Illidge Richardson, expressed dismay at the continuing occurrence of thefts and burglaries on the island. He condemned the dishonest practice of persons who wait until the dead of night, while everyone is sleeping to rob houses, business places and construction sites with no regard for the owners. He warned that the law enforcement personnel would spare no effort in pursuing the thieves with a view to bringing them to justice.

Traffic Matters

Sergeant Marva Brooks of the Traffic Department reported that 22 tickets were issued for various offences. There were 10 accidents during the April 16-23 period. For the month of April so far there was a total of 28 accidents, one fatal, two serious and 25 minor accidents, bringing the total for the year to 113 minor accidents, 23 serious accidents and two fatal accidents.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Brooks announced that written tests for prospective drivers will be resumed on Monday, May 5. Persons with previous appointments are invited to contact the Traffic Department.

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