KINGSTON, Jamaica – The police are reporting that they have retrieved one of their boats which was stolen in Negril, Westmoreland, earlier this year.

A news release from the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Corporate Communications Unit said the boat – a Boston Whaler vessel – was return to the Marine police on Sunday with the assistance of the Honduran military.

The police say a team of 11 officers, headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police Gary Chambers, travelled by sea to the Rosalinda Bank, which is an area between Jamaica and Honduras, to retrieve the vessel from the Honduran military. The police say the boat was then towed through high waves and rough sea conditions back to Jamaican shores.

The boat, which the police say is “badly scrapped”, will undergo major repairs and be returned to the JCF fleet of vessels.

The vessel was among 10 others handed over to the Jamaica Constabulary Force by the Embassy of the United States of America, the police disclosed Tuesday.

Head of the Border Security Branch, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Assan Thompson, believes that the incident was a wake-up call for more attention to be placed on border security.

“A comprehensive security plan has been developed to protect Marine assets across the island,” said ACP Thompson.

The boat was discovered missing from Negril, Westmoreland, on Thursday, February 11.