Three men assisting police in relation to Canouan yacht burglaries

Three men are currently assisting police in relation to the burglaries of yachts in the waters of Canouan during the mid-October period.{{more}}

This information was related to SEARCHLIGHT by Minister of Tourism, Saboto Caesar, on Monday, December 5.

Caesar also disclosed that the police also have in their possession one digital camera, three i-Pods, one laptop computer and one cellular phone, which are believed to be items that were stolen during the burglaries.

Caesar said law enforcement officers will be trying to get in contact with the owners of the yachts which were broken into, to seek their assistance in helping to identify the items which were recovered.

The names of the three men in police custody have been given as Allan Willson, 27 of Questelles, Jimmry Joseph, 28 of Canouan and Desmond Deroche, 23, also of Canouan.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT from his office in the National Insurance Service building in Kingstown, Caesar commended Commissioner of Police Keith Miller and the law enforcement officers for a job well done.

In relation to Bequia, which had experienced a spate of yacht burglaries recently, Caesar said since a meeting with tourism stakeholders in Bequia on November 4, the Ministry of Tourism and Industry has worked very closely with the police and have been able to secure a vessel which will begin patrols around Bequia in two weeks time.

“The vessel is already painted and the engine is supposed to be fitted by the end of this week.

“That will be based in Port Elizabeth and would patrol the environs of Bequia.

“In the meantime, the Coast Guard is making regular patrols in Bequia on a nightly basis…” Caesar said.

The Tourism Minister reiterated that he would not sit idly by and allow acts of criminality to be committed heavily against the tourism sector.

“The Tourism sector is the main transformation sector in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and it is our main foreign exchange income earner…”

He further noted that this not an issue he wants to play politics with.

“I do not play politics with the security pertaining to tourism. There are some persons who will continue to put out the negative, but I have confidence that the people in Bequia, they are already seeing the changes that are happening on the ground,” Caesar said.