MAY PEN, Clarendon — Criminals in this south-central parish continue to find creative ways to undermine the work of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), pushing cops to stay ahead in an effort to keep crime numbers from escalating within the division. One noticeable trend being reported is the use of high-end vehicles, and even drones, to engage in criminal activity.

“It’s a difficult task because the persons committing these crimes are smart. Gone are the days when we used to target the Probox or Axio motor cars because they were commonly being used. These guys have upped their game,” said sub-officer in charge of the Four Paths Police Station, Omar Fairclough.

He was responding, during Thursday’s monthly sitting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation, to a question regarding vehicles being rented to commit crimes within the parish.

“They are now going for the SUVs, and the more high-end vehicles like BMWs. So what the high command has done is that we have national coordinated roadblocks that are strategically placed in several locations across the division and we go by intel to determine the time and space these roadblocks are set up,” Fairclough added.

Turning his attention to praedial larceny, the sub-officer gave an update on the work being done by the local team of the JCF’s recently launched Agricultural Protection Branch.

“Last week one man was found with 60-odd goats and they were all stolen; the same unit recovered majority of that amount. The unit is in its infancy stage and so we are sensitising the farmers and persons rearing livestock to go and get your animals registered,” Fairclough said.

In weighing in on the issue, council chairman and mayor of May Pen Joel Williams said he has been advised that thieves are using drones to target farms.

Rounding out his report by responding to a question about motor vehicle theft in the parish, Fairclough said there have not been any major reports recently.

“Normally we see this when we have large events that don’t come through the right channel and so there isn’t enough security in place. In early January, there was one such event in the Toll Gate area where six cars were stolen, some of which were recovered in St Catherine,” he said.