FREE RIDE! - Car thieves walking free as cases collapse

Corey Robinson/Senior Staff Reporter

Dozens of suspected car thieves are walking free after victims abandon court cases once their stolen vehicles are recovered or insurance money paid out.

Some 123 motor vehicles, valued at an estimated $221 million, were stolen in just 43 days between January 1 and February 12 this year. Only 14 were recovered, according to police data, despite 51 per cent of the vehicles being equipped with anti-theft devices.

Police are still compiling figures for the months that followed, but according to the Insurance Association of Jamaica (IAJ), its members had received a staggering 291 reports of vehicle thefts up to last Friday.

Despite some 255 alleged car thieves and robbers reportedly appearing before the courts during the period, investigators said many of the matters collapse before convictions can be secured.

“The biggest issue is that complainants are not attending court. They get back their vehicles through insurance or otherwise, or they receive insurance payouts and lose interest in the matter,” explained a senior investigator assigned to a Corporate Area police division.

“Once the vehicle is confirmed stolen, people get their insurance money. Sometimes we recover the vehicles and charge people, but after that, many complainants are no longer interested,” he added.

The investigator said victims are often needed to corroborate statements and provide critical details about the vehicle, the theft itself, or any other information the court may deem necessary.

“Cases collapse because there is no supporting evidence and nowhere for the prosecution to go,” he said.

“In 90 per cent of the cases, the man charged is not known or seen by the complainant,” he added, noting that this also discourages victims from participating in court proceedings.

The police believe many of the accused are repeat players in organised car theft syndicates operating across the island.

Data show that only seven per cent of the matters were set for sentencing, while 12 per cent were listed for trial. Thirty-two per cent were set for mention, while 21 per cent had already been disposed of.

Lack of evidence, suspended sentences, admonishment and discharge, confinement and mediation were among the outcomes listed in the disposed matters.

St Andrew North, St Catherine North and South, St Ann and St James recorded the highest numbers of motor vehicle thefts and break-ins during the period, while Manchester and Portland recorded the lowest.

Karen Bhoorasingh, chief executive officer of Guardian General and a member of the IAJ, said criminals are increasingly shifting focus from traditionally popular vehicles to more high-end targets.

Still, Toyotas and Hondas remain among the most heavily targeted brands. Insurance records show 87 Toyota Mark X vehicles stolen, along with 30 Corollas, 19 Nissans, 18 Honda Fits, 14 Toyota Noahs, and nine Toyota Wish models.

The IAJ believes the true figure could be significantly higher.

According to Bhoorasingh, claims are usually settled within four to six weeks after insurers complete their own investigations.

Ultimately, she noted, the surge in thefts results in higher insurance premiums and deductibles.

“The insurance company has an interest if we are called upon to testify, but we rarely are because we are not involved in the actual theft,” Bhoorasingh explained.

The revelations come as the police in St Andrew Central, St Ann and St Andrew South continue to warn about the growing sophistication of the thieves, who are using devices bought online to bypass vehicle security systems and steal cars within seconds.

“They are beating us ... the numbers are terrible,” admitted Superintendent Mark Harris, commanding officer for the St Andrew Central Police Division.

“We remain relentless, but they are buying devices online that don’t even require keys,” he said.

“[At] one time they used to break into cars and hotwire them. They don’t do that any more,” Harris explained in a previous interview.

Rowena Winter recalled that the day after her 2019 Honda Fit was stolen from a parking lot on Dominica Drive in New Kingston last December, the police informed her that four men had been arrested nearby with duplicate key fobs and devices used to interfere with vehicle signals.

Although she has already received an insurance payout, Winter said the ordeal left her fearful and constantly on edge.

“The best place for these people is behind bars,” she said. “If I can help make that happen, then by all means I will.”

 corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com