WESTERN BUREAU – The Trelawny police are now investigating the destruction, by fire, of one of their service vehicles at the Wakefield police station.

The vehicle – a Toyota Land Cruiser – went up in flames at about 1:30 am on Tuesday morning. The parish’s Constabulary Communication Network liaison officer reported that personnel on duty at the station smelled smoke coming from the rear of the buildingand went to investigate. They discovered the vehicle ablaze and alerted the Falmouth Fire Department who later extinguished the fire.

According to Superintendent Jasmine Tomlinson-Brown, the parish’s commanding officer, the station’s operations would not be affected by the loss of the vehicle.

“Operations will not be affected, we are working very hard – a replacement vehicle was sent to the station (on Tuesday) and we will have regular patrols in the area,” she told the Observer.

Though the destruction of the vehicle was followed by two robberies inside the neighbouring communities of Bunkers Hill and Dromilly on Tuesday night, Superintendent Tomlinson-Brown has denied any connection between the destruction of the vehicle and the robberies.

Four men – two of whom were reportedly armed with handguns and who were travelling inside a white Toyota Corolla motor vehicle – held up the bartender and patrons inside a bar in Bunkers Hill. They robbed the establishment of $9,000 and relieved patrons of their jewellery. It is believed that the same group of men later journeyed to Dromilly where they robbed another two men – one of swhom was gun-butted and was later hospitalised. The police were alerted to the thieves’ presence in the communities but the lawmen’s attempts to snag them proved futile. Investigations are continuing, however.