ST THOMAS, Jamaica — Considering that the St Thomas police received 198 reports of praedial larceny in the parish in 2020, but made only 15 arrests, head of that police division, Superintendent Allison Byfield has given assurance to farmers that cops are ramping up efforts to protect their interests. 

She shared that 13 of 18 cattle that were stolen last year had been recovered, as well as 26 of the stolen goats. 

Byfield was speaking during a virtual Town Hall meeting in the parish on Thursday, the latest in a series targeting farmers across the island.

The superintendent said the police continue to make significant strides, “in the prevention and reduction of praedial larceny in the parish,” with an arrest being made in 2021 as recent as Wednesday of this week. 

The man arrested on Wednesday in Seaforth, was identified as 35-year-old Prince Henry, a taxi operator of Harwood Drive, Kingston 20, who has already been charged.

According to the senior cop, Henry, who was travelling in a white Nissan AD wagon motor car, was intercepted by the police around 3:05 am, the vehicle searched and goat carcasses found inside the trunk. Henry could not give an account of how he came to possess the carcasses.

Meanwhile, the town hall meeting was participated in by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green and Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bishop Dr Gary Welsh, who heads the praedial larceny prevention unit in the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, were St Thomas parish manager for the Rural Agricultural Authority, Bevene Dickenson, and Dr Osbil Watson of the Veterinary Services Division in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. 

Jason Cross