NEWLY appointed Jamaica Public Service Company’s (JPS) manager for the parishes of St James and Hanover, Rasheed Anderson, is warning customers that the light and power company is now technically equipped to detect electricity theft.

“We want Jamaica to be aware that we have invested in intelligence systems that have been placed strategically around our network, so we have the ability now to clamp down on persons who steal electricity,” Anderson cautioned.

Anderson pointed out recently, the utility company has back-billed customers, caught stealing electricity in western Jamaica, for millions of dollars.

“We found a meter bypass in St Elizabeth at a meat shop and that meat shop had 11 freezers and one cold storage, to show the magnitude of the bypass, and they were billed for $1.1 million for adjustments. Also, there is a major corporation that we found meter tampering at three different locations: two in Negril and one in Montego Bay; and they were charged $4.3 million in terms of adjustments, and there is also a major hotel in Negril that was adjusted for $5.4 million,” Anderson told the Jamaica Observer West.

“This just speaks to the level of commitment from our teams, and also our enhanced ability to detect irregularity.”

Before taking up his new post, the Jamaica College past student, who studied at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus for a first degree in electrical engineering, and who is also the holder of A Master of Science degree in engineering management which he gained at UWI, worked as programmes manager with responsibility for system loss at JPS.

Anderson stressed that JPS will be going all out to apprehend those who trespass on the company’s system.

“We will be looking at losses at different segments: looking at losses in the inner city, losses in uptown areas, in fact, on the network all across the island,” he told the Observer West.

He emphasised that under his tenure, reliability of service for the over 50,000 customers in St James and the more that 15,000 in Hanover, will be one of his main focus.

“We do understand, right now, that reliability is a core issue in terms of customer satisfaction and what we are looking to do is to embark on several initiatives, but moreso to do so on a strategic level, company-wise in terms of rolling out a comprehensive reliability programme with special focus on our worst performing fielders which will spill over into St James and Hanover,” Anderson explained.