Thieves who broke into the Department of Agriculture’s Gladstone Road farm and the Department of Fisheries’ Gladstone Road lab complex twice on Sunday, slaughtered a pig and stole the Agriculture Department’s truck which they used to carry away the pig and pounds of copper stolen from both complexes.
The actions of the thieves crippled the operations of both departments, mainly due to missing power cords which were allegedly taken for the copper wiring inside of them. Other areas such as labs and offices were not occupiable because the air conditioning system had been made inoperable when the thieves stole the copper tubing from them.
Acting Director of the Department of Agriculture’s Gladstone Road operation Basil Miller said he is used to thieves breaking into buildings on the 250-acre compound. However, he said no past break-ins had been so methodical or damaging, and no thieves before had struck all six buildings on the compound in one night.
During that time the thieves began their copper stealing spree and also stole all of the keys to the compound. He said they then came back Sunday night with the keys and continued their copper collecting.
Miller added that the compound’s piggery has been robbed far too often.
“They just cut its throat, let it bleed and take it. You see the trail of blood where they cut the fence and go through. This happens all too frequently.”
