MONTEGO BAY, St James – What was meant to be a fun night out in Montego Bay for Nickoy Lumbley turned out to be a disaster after his 2014 Toyota Axio motor car was stolen from the parking lot near a popular hangout spot in the resort city.

Lumbley is one of many Montegonians who have reported their motor vehicle stolen in recent times.

“I went there (party spot), which is where everyone goes to party on a Friday night. I got there about 12:00 am and upon my arrival I was instructed to park in the parking lot…so that is where I went,” the man recounted.

But while Lumbley was enjoying a well-needed night out in the city, car thieves were busy prying their way into his motor vehicle and eventually taking off with it.

“I think I spent around four hours at the party. I was there enjoying myself not knowing that my car would be missing when it was time to leave. I had no suspicions at all that something may happen to my vehicle,” Lumbley told the Jamaica Observer West.

“After the party ended, I walked back to the parking lot and when I got to the spot that I had parked, there was no vehicle. I made an alarm to the security. He said that he can’t do anything about it because he doesn’t know what happened.

“I walked back to the venue and I spoke to the head of security there. He said that they also cannot do anything about it because there is a sign that says patrons park at their own risk.”

Lumbley said he then made a report to the Freeport Police Station.

To make matters worse, the man told the Observer West, he has lost most of his identification cards and important documents as they were left inside the motor vehicle.

“I had everything in the car. I had my driver’s licence, IDs, bank cards…everything is gone. I had a bag with me and I just left it in the car not expecting something like this,” he said.

“I lost the documents for the car too. Normally I would have a photocopy of the documents, but I didn’t do that. I also had other documents, I had the title for my other car that was in an accident, so everything gone now. The only identification I have now is my passport,” a seemingly distressed Lumbley explained.

The car may have been an easy target as there were no additional security features installed, the man said. Admitting to have turned a blind eye to previous reports of car theft in the parish, Lumbley told the Observer West that his experience has opened his eyes to the crime as he is now aware of similar incidents since.

“I didn’t recognise it until it happened to me. After I lost my car another car got stolen out in Rose Hall during Rum Fest,” he said.

Though he was unable to provide statistics regarding the number of motor cars reported stolen in St James in recent months, the acting commander for the St James Police Division, Superintendent Carlos Russell, told the Observer West that “a few reports of this crime have been made since a popular event last weekend.”

“I know that over the weekend about three vehicles were stolen at the Rum Fest in Rose Hall, so we are investigating,” Russell said.

The top cop noted that criminals are targeting specific models of motor cars such as the Toyota Axio and the Nissan Tiida. With the entertainment industry reopened and a host of events planned for the summer, Russell is imploring drivers to remain vigilant to ensure that they do not fall prey to this crime.

“There are some tips that people can follow, but the most important one is to ensure that your vehicle is closed before walking away. Also try to park the vehicle in well-lit areas especially at nights because they (car thieves) like to work in the dark,” the superintendent said.

“What I do if I park in the town is that I try to look for places where I see cameras and park within close vicinity of them. People should always park in authorised areas too because you have some people just hitch up dem car on the roadside. Also try to put an alarm on your vehicle and if you can afford it, please put a tracker or a kill switch. These are very important security tools.”

While not trying to normalise this kind of unscrupulous activity, Russell told the Observer West that drivers should always be on the lookout for criminals waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

“You have some areas that are known for this activity. When I was in Trelawny we had the bend-down market in Falmouth on Wednesday…a lot of motor vehicles were stolen on that day. People just have to be careful. Sometimes when you park your vehicle you need to look around to see if people are watching you,” said the superintendent, who was recently transferred to the St James Police Division.

“Also, sometimes when you lock the vehicle you need to go back and check the door handles because you have someone who may be walking past your vehicle and when you think you lock it, they just pull the door. They won’t open it for you to realise, they just crack it so the vehicle won’t lock when you press the button. So sometimes when you press it you need to double check it.”

Russell is also imploring drivers to take precautionary measures when attending social events this summer.

“I would tell people to carpool, ensure that you have a proper alarm system on your vehicles and park them in safe areas. We know what the parking situation in St James is, so I would advise people to carpool if they can,” said the superintendent.