Farmers commend cops who nabbed sheep thief

FROM complaints of failure to respond, Barrackpore police officers are now being applauded by farmers for the arrest of a sheep thief over the weekend.

One of the two suspects, who entered the property at Cunjal North Trace on Saturday morning, escaped.

However, the two animals were recovered and returned to their owner. The suspect is assisting the police with their investigations into multiple reports of the theft of livestock in the district.

Spokesman for the farmers, Shiva Mohammed, said the farming community is pleased by the response and felt a little comforted.

In addition to increased police patrols, he also applauded additional patrols by the Craignish Praedial Larceny Squad and the Estate Management and Business Development Co Ltd (EMBD).

Mohammed attributed this increased attention to the community to a meeting they had with Police Commissioner Gary Griffith, two Fridays ago.

Mohammed and five farmers, from the Cunjal Road Food Crop project, met with Griffith to discuss an increase in praedial larceny, a lack of electricity in the area and applications for firearm user’s licences.

He said while farmers have suffered larceny of food crops and livestock for years, the theft and physical attacks increased since the stay-at-home measures implemented to stop the spread of the coronavirus

The situation was highlighted in the local media and Mohammed said former PP minister Vasant Barath was instrumental in arranging the meeting with Griffith.

He commended Griffith for keeping his word to increase police visibility, among other measures to have drones and CCTV monitor the area.

In addition to the patrols, Mohammed said the praedial larceny unit has also been providing daily support and held meetings with farmers to educate them on the resources available and on strategies to safeguard their crops and livestock.

He appealed to Public Utilities Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Moruga/Tableland MP Dr Lovell Francis for assistance in providing electricity for the farmers, one of the safeguards against theft.