The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is urging motorists to report stolen vehicles immediately, as the chances of recovery are significantly higher when the theft is reported shortly after it occurs.
Detective Sergeant, Dave Francis, of the JCF’s Stolen Motor Vehicle Unit said the time between the theft and its reporting is critical to the recovery process.
“Our success rate… would depend on how early you report the vehicle after the theft,” he said.
Sergeant Francis, who was speaking on the Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) Citizen’s Corner Podcast, recently, explained that a vehicle reported missing immediately after a theft provides the police with a better opportunity to locate it.
“If, for example, you go to purchase something and you park your vehicle and you go into a shop or a store and you come out within a minute or two and your vehicle is not there and you call 119, the probability of that vehicle being found or recovered is a lot higher,” he said.
He noted that delayed reporting creates greater challenges for the police.
“If you park your vehicle, go to bed and you get up in the morning and discover that it’s gone, because of the time lapse, that is where we have a real challenge,” Sergeant Francis explained.
He is also encouraging motorists to use multiple security measures to make it more difficult for criminals to steal their vehicles.
Sergeant Francis recommended the use of devices such as steering locks, tracking devices and pedal locks.
“As much as you can get multiple layers, it will slow them down and prevent them from getting the vehicle within a short space of time,” he said.
He added that the Police consider their success rate in recovering stolen vehicles to be good, especially with the use of technology.