Police begin stop and search of vehicles

The police will be moving to break the network between thieves and buyers and sellers of stolen farm produce through a stop and search initiative.{{more}}

Commissioner of Police Keith Miller at a press conference on Friday, September 10, appealed for the public’s support as he announced that the police will be searching vehicles transporting goods.

“I hope drivers and traffickers and buyers…will understand and cooperate with us. Every bus, every pick up, we see now transporting agricultural produce will be stopped and questioned. In fact that is in process already but we are going to do it more forcefully,” said Miller.

Miller appealed to farmers to practise doing business with receipt books. So far 4,000 farmers have registered with the Ministry of Agriculture to receive a special receipt book.

“I want us to encourage them to practise using the receipt books so that when we meet vehicles travelling with agriculture produce and livestock the driver and the person responsible for these goods will give account of them,” said Miller, adding people should also get a receipt for every item that they purchase.

The COP said the police will also be questioning vendors at the Kingstown Central Market and those on the roadsides to give account of the produce which are in their possession.

“We have been talking for a while, we have been operating in a particular way for too long. Now we have to understand the farmers’ cry and hit this thing hard,” said Miller.

He also warned members of the public not to purchase items from persons who they do not think are authentic vendors.

“I want vendors in the market to understand when we come and ask you where you get these produce from, you are in a possession to tell us ‘I bought them from Mr.XYZ’ and produce a receipt or take us to Mr.XYZ to show us that is Mr.XYZ you bought the agricultural produce from,” said Miller.

The COP also had a warning for traffickers taking agricultural produce out of the state.

He said they will be met on the boat and will have to give account for the items in their possession.

Miller disclosed that some traffickers with established markets sometimes buy produce from thieves to meet orders when legitimate farmers fail to meet their demand.

He said the police also have information that butchers are purchasing stolen animals.

Miller said he hopes when the culprits are caught the judiciary will make an example of both thief and receiver of the goods.