Thieves wreaking havoc in Hopewell

WESTERN BUREAU:

THIEVES ARE on the rampage in the usually quiet Hopewell community in Hanover, having broken into some four bar establishments over the last two weeks, and with two motor vehicles stolen during the last week.

The multimillion-dollar Hopewell Sports and Community Centre complex in Orchard Housing Scheme was targeted on Saturday, November 4, along with a nearby community bar on the fisherman’s beach. The centre was a gift to the community courtesy of the Hanover Charities, Tryall Fund and the Lennox Lewis League of Champions organisations.

But the break-in at the centre has drawn the ire of the entire Hopewell community, especially as thousands of dollars in damage was done to the infrastructure.

The Gleaner has been reliably informed that two power speaker boxes, a number of computer tablets and thousands of dollars in cash were removed from one of the offices in the community centre, while internal glass doors, desks and filing cabinets were damaged. Thieves gained entry by breaking the lock and smashing a front door.

President of the Hopewell Citizens’ Association, Derrick Wright, questioned the community spirit of the person(s) who committed the act, describing the culprit(s) as “sick-minded”, and selfish.

He bemoaned the absence of robust policing in the area. “I am not feeling the police presence in Hopewell,” he said, adding that there seems to be an emphasis on traffic management in the town square during peak hours, with no vehicular patrol taking place in and around the community during the rest of the day and nights.

While not willing to discuss the break-in at the community centre, president of the Orchard Citizens’ Association, Monica McIntyre, admitted that the facility was vandalised, and reasoned that it could not have been done by community members.

““Nobody in their right mind from this community would be involved in such an undertaking as the facility is serving the whole community,” McIntyre stated.

She lamented the damage done to furniture and other aspects of the facility, noting that the police did a comprehensive analysis of the building.

The Gleaner has been informed that following the processing of the robbery scene at the community centre, the police retrieved some forensic evidence.

Commander of the Sandy Bay Police Station that has responsibility for policing the Hopewell area, Inspector Nadine Murray-Brown, told The Gleaner that the police are following strong leads and expect a breakthrough soon.

With respect to the other break-ins that have taken place across the community, Murray-Brown asked for the cooperation of the business operators who have suffered at the hands of the thieves, noting that only with their cooperation would the police be successful in solving the cases.

Addressing concerns regarding the lack of a police presence in the community, the commanding officer offered that the Sandy Bay Police Station “... has one motor vehicle and police personnel at the station are doing their best”.

Murray-Brown suggested that the Sandy Bay Police Station could do with at least one more vehicle.

bryan.miller@gleanerjm.com