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alexk
Guest
The T&T Police Service has recorded a 22 per cent reduction in car thefts, this year.
Speaking at the weekly press briefing at the Police Administration Building in Port-of-Spain yesterday, Sgt Christopher Swamber of the Stolen Vehicles Unit revealed that between January and June, 435 vehicles were stolen across T&T as compared to 561 for the same period, last year.
Stating that the stolen car market is a multi-million dollar industry, Swamber noted that the value of the vehicles stolen during the period this year was $39.2 million as opposed to $41.8 million, last year.
Of the vehicles stolen this year, 51 per cent were Nissan brands, with car thieves favouring the car manufacturer’s B13, B14, AD Wagon and Tiida models. The second and third most popular brands being targeted are Toyota and Kia.
Police officers were able to recover approximately 16 per cent of the stolen cars (71 vehicles) during the period. Twenty cases were solved with 24 people being arrested and charged.
Central Division recorded the majority of car thefts followed by the Northern and Southern Divisions. Although Swamber stated that the Port-of-Spain Division usually recorded the lowest rate of all nine policing divisions, he noted that there were 16 reports for the first six months of the year.
“We would prefer that there is no robbery and theft of motor vehicles; however, when these crimes occur we hope the recent increase in detection, arrest and prosecution for these types of crime in Port-of-Spain Division would be a deterrent to offenders,” Swamber said.
Despite the encouraging statistics, Swamber still encouraged citizens to remain vigilant as he pointed out that incidents of vehicles being stolen in armed robberies have increased.
He suggested that the change in the method used by car thieves was down to the increased use of coded electronic keys by car manufacturers.
Swamber gave advice to citizens on how to avoid being a victim.
In addition to installing anti-theft devices such as GPS tracking, Swamber suggested that vehicle owners place unique markings in hidden locations on their vehicles to aid police in identifying them in the event that they are stolen.
“These unique marks can be in the form of their initials, date of birth, special marks, et cetera. Owners should ensure that only they have knowledge of these marks,” Swamber said.
He also suggested that citizens be cautious when returning home from work as the majority of car robberies are committed in front of victims homes between 8 pm and midnight.
He also suggested that taxi drivers were among the most vulnerable as they are often attacked by people pretending to be passengers.
“Taxi drivers throughout the country have been targeted in particular, those who ply their vehicle along the Eastern Main Road from San Juan to Port-of-Spain,” Swamber said.
He advised citizens, who may wish to verify that a vehicle is not stolen before purchasing it, to contact his unit before completing the transaction.