Reported Crime in Anguilla came down from 25 last week to 21 for the period September 9 to 16 with theft heading the list.

There were six cases of theft occurring at South Hill, West End, The Valley, Blowing Point and Corito. Items stolen ranged from a goat to a laptop and also included a cylinder of gas, four tires, four vehicle rims, two reels of number 4 copper wire and two truck batteries.

Burglary came in second with 5 reported occurrences, three in the Valley and one each in South Hill and Sachasses. Here the Bad Johns snatched coins, drinks, US$400 cash, a gold hand chain, a gold neck chain, a power washer and seven aluminium windows. Police recovered some of the items from the Sachasses haul. The bandits were unsuccessful in one burglary attempt in South Hill.

In other crimes, Police reported 2 cases of cannabis possession, 2 of cultivation of cannabis, 1 of grievous bodily harm, 1 of passing counterfeit currency, 1 of criminal trespass and 2 of criminal damage.

Sergeant in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Randolph Yearwood, divulged that the criminal damage occurred at West End where someone damaged the right front glass of a motor vehicle and some trees.
Six persons were arrested for the week. They included 2 juvenile males, aged 16 and 17, for burglary. Yearwood revealed that the charges were reduced and the boys jointly faced four counts of theft. Mr. Yearwood said they boys pleaded guilty to offences involving three business places in The Valley and a dwelling house in North Side. One of them was further detained and charged for cultivation and possession of cannabis. Other arrests comprised one each for criminal trespass, grevious bodily harm, passing counterfeit currency and obscene publication.

Yearwood explained that someone tried to use three faked EC 20 dollar notes. The offender was expected to be charged on Wednesday last. The Sergeant felt that, from his investigation, the offender knew the bills were false. He opined that the amount of money involved, and the complexity of the case, helped to determine whether the offenderwas handled by CID or the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU).

There were 8 traffic accidents, one fatal. Superintendent of Police responsible for Operations, Rudolph Proctor, reported that around 2:00 am on September 13 there was a report of a traffic accident in Welches. Officers found a vehicle, P5943, at rest off the side of the road on Sal Hill. Proctor said Mr. Michael Louis was extracted from the vehicle with difficulty. He was transported to the Alexandra Hospital and was pronounced dead at 3:45 am. Louis's body was transported to Two Sons Funeral Home for a post-mortem.

Two Marijuana Fields Raided

Members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force descended upon cannabis cultivation yielding a total of 63 growing plants. Head of the Drugs and Firearms Task Force, Inspector Paul Sinclair stated that on Tuesday September 15 good community intelegence and assistance resulted in the Task Force discovering “two areas where cannabis is being cultivated.” The areas were Pond Ground where 32 young plants were unveiled and Stoney Ground where 31 plants were confiscated. Sinclair pointed out that the 32 were “well on their way to being developed.” He noted that it was apparent, from the amount of care and work spent on these cultivations, including watering and fertilization, that they was quite expensive and reasonably sophisticated. He observed that both finds were subject to further investigation and forensic yield will be pursued which could result in persons being interviewed. He said the cultivations could have resulted in a profitable enterprise and wondered where cannabis growers were acquiring plant pots.

Sinclair gave the names of the three men who were arrested in Sandy Hill Bay for importing 43 pounds of compressed marijuana worth an estimated US$100,000. The three were Marlon Petty of North Side, Elvin Connor of the Valley and Donavan Cains of Stoney Ground. The drug smugglers were presently housed in Her Majesty’s Prison awaiting trial sometime near the end of the month.

The Inspector acknowledged the amount of support his Officers were receiving in their investigations from the public. He described the assistance as “great.”

Four More Charges for Joe Brice

Head of the FIU, Inspector Andy Arsenault, said police anticipated levying 4 more criminal charges against Mr. Joseph Brice. He revealed that these charges were in connection with ‘The Anguilla European Masters Fund’ of which Brice was allegedly the trustee.

According to Arsenault one of two victims was the “National Social Security Board of Anguilla” that invested US$100,000 in the Fund in 2003. He said in 2008 it appeared that the money was allegedly removed and “the loss to the Social Security Board was approximately US$130,000.” The other casualty was a private investor who was relieved of US$30,000. In each case, the charges are for alleged theft and evasion of a liability by deception.

Mr. Arsenault informed the media that he understood the courts had allowed Brice to leave the island but he was presently on Anguilla. In total, he faces seven charges. Brice is expected to appear in court sometime later in the fall.

Locals Suckered into Internet Fraud
Mr. Arsenault remarked that his unit was receiving a number of internet fraud reports. He said there were not too many details but Anguillians were “ensnared by fraudsters in countries like Nigeria into sending money to Nigeria.” He noted that e-mail and g-mail were used to offer situations that were “too good to be true.” The Inspector said citizens were ‘turning a blind eye’ to caution and getting involved. He warned that these frauds were prevalent in Anguilla and citizens already sent money off the island.

Police Officers were investigating some four or five cases. In one case, someone sent $1400 and received items only to discover they were fraudulent when they were entered on the person’s bank account.

Car Racing: That’s Against the Law

Superintendent Proctor issued a stern warning to persons engaged in ‘Drag Racing’ on the streets of Anguilla. He said there seemed to be a recurrence of this activity on the Jeremiah Gumbs Highway. “This is a very serious violation of the traffic laws and we will not tolerate it. We have a zero tolerance approach to it,” Proctor stated.

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