Nabbing car thieves

BUILT-IN security systems together with anti-theft devices that owners have installed in their vehicles have helped to reduce considerably the high incidence of vehicle stealing in the country. Still, the crime of vehicular theft remains a lucrative one for rings of professional thieves operating in north, south and central Trinidad, having their own network of facilities and market outlets for recycling or dismantling these stolen vehicles. So prevalent was this crime at one time that a special unit in the CID, the Stolen Vehicles Squad, was formed several years ago to deal with this problem.

After not hearing from them for quite some time, it is good to learn that the Squad is still alive and kicking. Or is it that they have just been awakened from a self-induced slumber? Whatever the case, the Squad’s current crackdown on car thieves and their operating “infrastructure” across the country is welcome, an initiative we expect they would want to maintain as an on-going campaign. A car is not only expensive property but for thousands of TT families it provides a convenient and indispensable means of transport. While new models may be comprehensively insured, many of the older vehicles are not and their loss by theft can inflict serious hardship, financial and otherwise, on households with many members who depend on these vehicles for their routine daily travel. So the recent recovery by the SVS of 20 stolen vehicles is an effort that must be commended. In conjunction, four persons, two businessmen from Rousillac and Penal, and two mechanics from Diego Martin have been arrested in connection with the larceny of these vehicles which include Sunnys, Sentras, Hondas, Hyundai Accents and Mazda Pick-ups. The most notable aspect of this operation appears to be the fact that it is the result of sustained investigative or intelligence work by SVS officers who seized the vehicles at various homes in Penal, Rousillac, Diego Martin, Chaguanas, San Fernando and Couva.

The extent of this dragnet gives an idea of the widespread operations of these criminals and we can only hope that this sweep by SVS officers will lead to a cleaning up of the nests of these predators. SVS members have told Newsday that more arrests are imminent. Senior officers say they have information that several persons involved in the vehicle stealing racket are so well organised that they actually have a clientele who deal in parts cannibalised from stolen vehicles. As part of their crackdown, officers are also targetting the distributors of stolen parts as a means of nabbing the perpetrators. “We are asking members of the public to be cautious when purchasing used vehicle parts because those parts could be tampered with,” said a senior officer. He also advised that persons who are negotiating to purchase used vehicles should bring these vehicles to the Stolen Vehicles Squad to have them thoroughly checked. The service is free and, according to the officer, it could save purchasers of some used vehicles a lot of money and even possible prosecution. Persons whose cars have been stolen may be lucky to recover them from among the 20 seized and brought to the Central Police Station on Wrightson Road. Owners of vehicles in TT, we are sure, will want to see the SVS moving full speed ahead in this current campaign.