With thousands of dollars worth of construction equipment stolen in recent weeks, police are warning residents against buying secondhand tools without proof of ownership.
RCIPS Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown, speaking on the Wednesday, 14 June episode of the the Cayman Compass talkshow, ‘The Resh Hour’, said the recent uptick in construction tool thefts means that stolen goods are circulating in the community and buying such items is an offence.
“I would think the majority of these tools are being resupplied on the island in the construction business. I would ask people don’t buy secondhand goods off of other people unless you’re really confident of where the origins… are they stolen or not? If there’s a suspicion they’re stolen you could be committing handling stolen goods which I think is 14 years imprisonment… it’s a serious offence,” Lansdown said.
Though he did not have a total dollar value for the items stolen in the recent incidents, Lansdown said in one of the thefts, close to $8,000 worth of tools and equipment were stolen.
He said that police are looking at different lines of inquiry when it comes to where the tools are going, including the possible exporting of items to as far away as Haiti.
“We’ve got some fairly robust investigations around containers leaving the island. We’re checking containers. We’re working well with the ports and with [Customs and Border Control]. The Coast Guard are aware and they’re checking boats [as] some might be leaving the island,” he said.
RCIPS media relations officer Jodi-Ann Powery said one of the difficulties that police are having with their investigations with construction tools or other stolen property is a lack of proper records.
“They don’t record the serial number for their valuable properties and they don’t take pictures of them, and they don’t mark them in inconspicuous ways, where if they are ever stolen that they’ll be able to identify them in those different ways,” she said.
She is encouraging people to record serial numbers, take pictures of receipts and email those to themselves for safe keeping so if items are stolen or lost there is a record of “what you own and you have proof of ownership and can retain your property if it’s ever found”.
Tips to guard against theft
- In addition to applying permanent markings, record serial numbers of equipment so that they can be identified more easily if a theft does occur.
- Don’t leave tools unattended in visible, easily accessible locations on your property or work site. Overnight, ensure tools are locked in a secure location.
- As a general rule, don’t leave tools in your vehicle, but if you have to, ensure they are not visible.
- Park vehicles, particularly those that have construction company decals on them, in well-lit areas and, if possible, in places with security cameras or security officers on site.
- Don’t leave vehicles running or with the keys inside unattended, even for a short amount of time.
- Always ensure that your windows are secured shut and doors are locked when leaving your vehicle.
– Source: RCIPS
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