The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FOUR armed men posing as immigration officers forced their way inside a home yesterday then assaulted a man and a woman before escaping with stolen items.

The incident occurred shortly after 5am yesterday when the thieves gained entry to the home located on Balfour Avenue off Key West Street. They then robbed the residents—three men and a woman—of cash, work permits, cell phones and other personal effects, police said.

During the robbery the assailants hit one of the men and the woman in the face before escaping on foot. The two injured were taken to hospital for treatment, however police reported they were later discharged.

Yesterday Director of Immigration Clarence Russell said residents have a right to ask people presenting themselves as law enforcement officers for identification if in doubt of their truthfulness.

“All crimes are of concern for law enforcement. Impersonating law enforcement officers is a very serious issue and so we say to members of the public to make certain you dot all your Is and cross all your Ts, ask before you open your door for persons to in fact present proper identification. If you are in doubt, then 919 is your option, call and make certain that you verify the emergency services that there are official law enforcement officers at your door,” said Mr Russell.

Last week, the Department of Statistics asked residents to verify those claiming to be their staff, before opening their doors. This came after a WhatsApp voice note warning members of the public that persons conducting surveys might be criminals was circulated.

Meanwhile, police in New Providence are also looking for suspects in connection with two armed robberies that occurred on Sunday.

According to a police report, the first incident happened shortly after 11am when a man was driving in the Tropical Gardens area off West Bay Street when he was flagged down by a man hitchhiking a ride. After assisting him, the hitchhiker pulled out a gun and robbed him of cash and cheques before escaping.

The next robbery happened in the evening shortly after 8pm. A female was outside of a residence on Jerome Avenue off Chesapeake Road when a man with a firearm robbed her of a Huawei tablet.

In late November, Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash urged residents and business owners to be vigilant and to take all necessary precautions to remain safe during the holiday season.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve had a lot of armed robberies, but we are beefing up patrols,” he said at the time. “Beefing up patrols is a part of (our) strategy particularly in the shopping areas, the high-volume shopping areas so you will see more police moving closer to Christmas season.

“We don’t expect any crime to increase but we are in a preventative mode, so we aren’t expecting the worst. We are expecting a good Christmas for all Bahamian citizens and in ensuring that you will see high volumes of police presence.”

CSP Cash advised people making large bank deposits not to do so alone and urged business owners to use armoured car services.

Police are appealing to anyone with information on these latest incidents to contact the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991/2, Crime Stoppers at 328-8477, or the nearest police station.