The Royal Bahamas Police Force is calling on members of the public to be vigilant and cautious as armed robberies increase in the capital.

Police Superintendent Antonio Levarity of the Robbery Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department spoke with ZNS News on Monday. Levarity shared some of the scenarios in which citizens are being targeted. He said, “as you head home a vehicle would pull next to you, two to three perpetrators would exit that vehicle armed with high powered weapons and rob you of your vehicles, that is something that we have seen increased. While I’m saying it has increased based on the operations that were being held in the last month the matters itself decreased but it is still a trend.”

The Superintendent says that persons are also being targeted at gas stations. “As you pull up to either the pump or before going into the establishment, same operation, three to two men followed by another vehicle would come perpetrators armed with firearm would jump out of those vehicles and rob persons of their vehicles,” he said.

Retail theft and armed robbery is also a concern. It was reported last week that Popeye’s Restaurant on Mackey Street and Starbucks in the Harbour Bay Shopping Center were both robbed. Leverity said, “we’ve noted that there has been an increase in armed robberies in respect to businesses. So we beckon to the business persons once you hire a security, security officers should do just exactly what he is being paid to do, to be the first eye and to secure your building. We’ve noted that in a lot of times securities may not be alert. So therefore that gives the perpetrators an opportunity to enter the establishment or even lurk around the establishment. So I would say to business owners, as you hiring these persons, especially security officers. its very important for you to allow them or ensure that they do exactly their job which is to secure your building.”

Police are advising citizens not to frequent beaches late as night, remain vigilant when pulling up to their homes and get into their homes quickly to avoid being vulnerable to would be perpetrators.

Police are expected to beef up patrols and continue to host community symposiums as part of their efforts to fight crime in the country.

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