McGregor

JUNIOR STEER woke up Friday morning, opened his front door and and was confronted with the empty space where he had parked his vehicle the night before. His 2006 Toyota Corolla car was gone - stolen from his apartment complex in St Andrew.

Steer has now joined the ranks of several persons whose vehicles have been stolen from across the island since January. According to the Constabulary Communication Network, last year 2,123 vehicles were reported stolen while same amount was stolen in 2007.

"We have had a number of reported cases, especially in the plazas and New Kingston," said Deputy Superintendent Michael Phipps, crime officer for the St Andrew Central Division. He suspects that in some cases the culprits are assisted by locksmiths with high-quality equipment.

"Sometimes, people park their vehicles, for example, in a plaza and within 15 minutes when they return, their cars are gone," said DSP Phipps, who suggested that motor-vehicle owners invest in special security device. He stressed that in doing so, in the event their vehicles are stolen, it would be easily monitored and tracked by security personnel.

According to the officer, the most common cars targeted are Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans.

Phipps' colleague, DSP Altemorth 'Paro' Campbell urges that motor vehicle owners must be vigilant.

"If you are at home and your car alarm triggers off, don't take it for granted. Call the police," DSP Campbell told Automotives.

Throw objects

He explained that car thieves usually throw objects at your car to trigger the alarm. The unsuspecting owner may think that the system may be acting up as no one is seen. And, after three or more alarms, the owner may become annoyed and disarm the system making it easier for the crooks.

DSP Campbell said that in many instances criminals do background checks on the victims.

"Some of these car thieves will watch your movements ... find out who lives inside the respective homes as well as the occupants profession before they make an attempt to steal your car," said DSP Campbell.

Chief executive officer of Guardsman Alarm, Junior McGregor, said that he has seen an increase in people are investing in tracking device.

"We have been in the business for the past nine years. Today, we have over 3,000 clients," McGregor said.

He said that the tracking system was necessary for people who are serious about protecting their investment.

While declining to say how the tracking system works, McGregor said the device had helped his company and the police to recover a number of bikes stolen from messengers.

"The tracking systems really works," he said. "We were able to recovered 99 per cent of the vehicles reported to us," he added.

Guardsman Alarm is one of several companies offering a tracking service. The unit is sold for $27,000 plus GCT. Each client then pays a monthly fee of $1,980 for access and monitoring.