BALACLAVA, St Elizabeth — The evasive action of a Beryllium crew which reportedly came under attack by gunmen in the hills of St Elizabeth close to this community on Wednesday thwarted a robbery attempt — the third reported ambush by criminals on that armed courier company since February.

Senior Superintendent (SSP) of Police Stephanie Lindsay told the Jamaica Observer that the latest incident happened shortly after 1:00 pm when gunmen attacked the Beryllium crew.

“We just understand that they were in the area when their vehicle was attacked by men travelling in a car. We understand that the content was not impacted and none of the guards were injured,” she said.

The Observer was told that the gunmen attempted to stop the Beryllium vehicle before opening fire on the unit, damaging it. The guards reportedly sped off and sought assistance from the Siloah police.

Siloah, a northern St Elizabeth community, is located over five miles from Bogue Hill, close to Balaclava, where the attack reportedly took place.

SSP Lindsay pointed to ongoing consultations between the police and members of the security sector following recent attacks.

“There is always the dialogue to be had and the appeal to persons that once you are handling cash then you have to be extra careful, because we realise that the criminals are basically after cash. We have been having the discussions and the dialogue with the relevant groups and individuals, so we expect that they are doing [what is] necessary to harden the target around cash,” she said.

When asked about the police’s response to the attacks in deep-rural Jamaica, SSP Lindsay said resources will be deployed where necessary.

“…Once we do the assessment and we realise that something needs to be a priority, then we put the resources there, so we see where, in recent times, we have seen the attacks on that sector. We have been having dialogue with the players in the industry and we have been playing our part to ensure that we support them, so it is always that we respond wherever there is a need for police services,” she said.

Residents in the area told the Observer that the incident came as “a great shock” to them.

This latest attack on Beryllium follows last month’s multimillion-dollar heist in Portmore, St Catherine, in which four security guards were injured. The police said on Tuesday that six people are in custody for that attack.

Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson, in addressing a digital press conference on Tuesday, said the constabulary is moving to clamp down on the spate of attacks that have been launched on cash-heavy sources such as ATMs and courier services in recent months.

“We are seeing gangs turn to robberies of high cash amounts to fund their illicit activities as law enforcement impact their various sources of income. ATMs, business persons handling and transporting high amounts of cash and armoured courier services have been the main target,” he said, noting the heightened apprehension among citizens with the recent Beryllium-targeted robberies in Portmore.