Police believe they broke a housebreaking ring when they arrested two males following a high-speed chase late last week.
An officer from the Eastern Division was investigating an unrelated housebreaking report when he observed the driver of a passing vehicle acting in a suspicious manner.
The officer followed the vehicle and summoned the assistance of other units when a chase ensued.
Police say the occupants of the fleeing vehicle immediately began hurling, what they later learned were stolen items through the vehicle’s window into nearby bushes.
The suspects were stopped a short time later by other police vehicles that were assisting.
Jewelry items, including a watch, were allegedly found inside the suspect’s vehicle and a few other items that were reported stolen from two other homes in the area, were discovered in bushes along the chase route, according to police.
“We recovered several of the items on the suspects’ person, as well as during the investigation some items were pointed out to us which were hidden in bushes,” Corporal Michael Miller revealed at a press briefing Tuesday at the Lucaya Police Station.
“Based on our investigation, the suspects were leaving the area.”
However, police are still in search of a few other stolen items believed to have been tossed during the chase.
In total, police say the items reported stolen from the three houses off Midshipman in the Chesapeake, East Sunrise and Churchill Drive areas are valued at over $12,000.
Among them were a Rolex watch, two diamond tennis bracelets, a laptop, an assortment of jewelry, and a cellular phone.
The duo is believed to be members of a large housebreaking ring which scouts out and targets homes and makes their strike while the homeowners are at work.
All of the items were believed to have been stolen within the last week and, according to police, their investigations led them to other stolen items that were sold on the streets that were also recovered.
A majority of the items have been identified by their owners.
Cpl. Miller, who is also a member of the Crime Management Unit in the Eastern Division, revealed that the new ring of thieves are diverting from the trend and are eyeing the smaller electronics and jewelry
“They are looking more for the Kindles, jewelry, cellphones and cash. The biggest items that they are carrying now are the laptops,” he said.
“In several of the homes that were broken into, the flat screens were left behind. However, there are instances where thieves would remove the flat screen television, stash it in nearby bushes and return to retrieve it.”
As a precautionary measure, the police are again advising and urging residents to be aware of those individuals in their neighborhood who are looking and acting suspiciously.
“We’re asking residents who may see an individual or individuals circling their area on a bike or walking with a backpack, to call the police, especially if you do not recognize them from the area,” Assistant Superintendent Loretta Mackey said.
While housebreaking and stealing have long plagued the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the officers noted that there have been some success in putting a dent in the crime chain in the Eastern area in recent times.
But police are cognizant they cannot do it alone and are encouraging residents who are interested in forming a crime watch in their area to contact the nearest police station.
With 85 percent of housebreakings taking place between 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., the police are asking residents who are home during the daytime hours to keep watch and make a note of individuals who are strangers to the area.
“Observe cars coming through the area, take note of cars coming through your area and the number of times a particular vehicle passes your home or comes through the area and if you can, get a license plate number,” Cpl. Miller said.
By Lededra Marche
Freeport News Editor
