The Anguilla Police are on a manhunt to find two robbers who attacked the Security Guards at Lake’s Food World and snatched from them more than EC$50,000 which they were presumably taking to the bank deposit box late Monday evening, February 22.

L-R: Inspector Emris Rogers, Deputy Commissioner Rudolph Proctor and Inspector Paul Sinclair

Inspector Emris Rogers told reporters, on Wednesday, that the armed robbery took place in the supermarket’s parking lot. The lawmen were informed that two masked men, armed with firearms, held up the two Security Guards who were in the process of transporting the money from the business place. One of the Security Guards was said to have been armed at the time of the attack. The assailants, one said to be taller than the other, were dressed in dark clothing and were seen running away from the area.

The Police are appealing to anyone with information regarding this robbery, or any other crime, to report to the Criminal Investigation Department or any Police Officer, noting that their identity would be held in strict confidence. The robbery is one of a series of violent criminal acts which have been reported in various parts of Anguilla, defying the increased patrols of the Police.

Inspector Paul Sinclair gave some guarded details about how the Police are handling such serious incidents. “In line with current policy, whenever we have a series of offences being committed, particularly robbery, we do implement an operational plan…and patrols have been stepped up. Part of the process is visiting restaurants and shops…to provide reassurance and effectiveness,” he disclosed. The top Police Detective advised property owners to maintain their own security systems as well as proper lighting of premises, thus assisting the work of the Police. “We have had lots of police activity last week, and this week, and the Drugs and Firearms Task Force is providing support in beat and patrol,” he added. “As Inspector Rogers said, I invite anybody with any information to please come forward. These people are prepared to use firearms to obtain even small amounts of money. If you have a conscience, pass the information to us and rest assured we will act upon it very, very quickly.”

Deputy Commissioner, Rudolph Proctor, expressed best wishes for a speedy recovery to the proprietor of the pizza restaurant at Lower South where armed robbers recently brutally chopped him on the head, causing him to travel to Trinidad for treatment. Mr. Proctor emphasised that the Police were focusing a lot of their resources on pursuing those assailants, having been able to bring other cases to a successful resolution.

“We want to emphasise to the general public that their help is required in dealing with these issues,” Mr. Proctor stated. “In a lot of these instances, the assailants make their way through little tracks close to people’s homes and so persons must see the movement of vehicles and individuals to get to the areas they are targeting. This type of information would be very helpful to our intelligence personnel.”

Meanwhile, the regular weekly Police Report for the period February 17-24 showed that six crimes were committed then. Of that number, there were three burglaries at South Hill, Roaches Hill and Long Bay. The stolen items included soft drinks, a stereo set and a laptop computer.

Four thefts were reported at South Hill and Stoney Ground where water and a water heater were stolen.

There were eight arrests during the period: two males on suspicion of taking a conveyance, two for being armed with an offensive weapon; one male for driving under the influence of alcohol; one for theft; one for assault and another on suspicion of uttering false currency.

Eleven traffic accidents were recorded during the period.

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News