PORT MARIA, St Mary — Financial challenges resulting from the recent lockdowns, which were aimed at slowing spread of the novel coronavirus, are among factors pushing up robberies and similar crimes in St Mary.

Commanding officer for the parish, Superintendent Bobette Morgan-Simpson, made the declaration Wednesday evening while addressing a community meeting she hosted at St Mary’s Anglican Church Hall in the parish capital, Port Maria.

“COVID would have locked down [some sectors in] the country for just about two years, and what we find coming out now or what will happen is that we will end up with some acquisitory crimes — and we are seeing that happening,” she told the gathering. “We find that persons were locked down and so persons are hungry for money. The criminals are out there and they don’t rest.”

Morgan-Simpson listed a number of what she described as trends being utilised by robbers, especially in communities on the western side of the parish, close to the St Ann border.

Among them is the impersonation of the police by hoodlums travelling in a motor car.

“There is a white car with blue flashing light operating between Trelawny, St Ann, and St Mary. We have no white police car with flashing lights in St Mary; we don’t have any. So if you see a white car with flashing light stopping you, do not stop, because you could be setting up yourself to be robbed,” the senior crime fighter advised residents.

She made reference to some cases in which people travelling from banks in St Ann have been trailed by criminals, who rob or attempt to rob them when they enter communities such as Boscobel and Racecourse in St Mary. One victim, Morgan-Simpson said, was carrying $600,000, and a would-be victim had $800,000.

She encouraged the use of electronic banking or greater reliance on law enforcement.

“When you have large sums of cash, do not be careless with money. Ask us for assistance. If you are in St Ann, go to the police… You will get help because no police wants a robbery or murder to be added to their stats,” she said.

According to her, another criminal trend observed in St Mary is the theft of game machines, popularly referred to as poker boxes.

“We find that bars are being broken into and poker boxes are being removed. What we also find is that some of these places are not properly secured,” Morgan-Simpson lamented.

She also appealed for residents to, among other things, become aware of their environment, seek the police’s help in establishing neighbourhood watches, install CCTV systems, and do proper background checks on people seeking to rent their houses and motor vehicles.