Thieves ransacked accounts information during a break-in at the Immigration department, the latest in a series of raids on government and court buildings.
The raid at the Hawkins Hill office over the holiday weekend now casts doubt on the effectiveness of security at the various establishments say observers.
Burglars broke in through a door on the ground floor of the Immigration office sometime between close of business on Friday afternoon and opening the office yesterday morning, Director of Immigration Jack Thompson confirmed.
Accounts information was scattered across the ground floor office and staff were sent home until 2:00pm while police investigators dusted for fingerprints and searched for clues to identify the culprits.
Mr Thompson was still trying to ascertain what had been stolen yesterday, as police combed through the mess of paperwork in the west wing of the ground floor.
The burglary has prompted calls for increased security at government offices to safeguard sensitive public information and public funding, as it is the latest in a series of raids on government offices in less than a month.
Magistrates Court Number Nine was burgled early Saturday morning when thieves cut security bars in the court window to ransack an office and make an unsuccessful attempt to steal a safe.
Burglars also raided Supreme Court Senior Justice Jon Isaacs’ office last Wednesday, stealing personal items from his chambers and scrawling the message “The PLP must win the next election, all FNM must die” across his door with a drawing of a gun.
The court raids followed a burglary at the Passport Office in Thompson Boulevard on July 8 when thieves stole a safe containing $7,000 and got away in a government car.
No arrests have been made in relation to any of the raids and Superintendent Leon Bethel, in charge of the Criminal Detective Unit (CDU) said investigators have not found any evidence to link the burglaries. “We need to know if anyone can assist us by providing information that can lead to the arrest of the -perpetrators,” Mr Bethel. said.
Call police with any information which may assist investigations on 911, 919, 502-9930, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 328-TIPS (8477).
By Megan Reynolds
Tribune Staff Reporter
