A man was nabbed by the City Constabulary early on Thursday morning after he was caught attempting to break into the Bourda Market and then shot at one of the arresting ranks during his bid to escape.
According to the City’s Constabulary’s Chief Constable Andrew Foo, he received information that around 3 am on Thursday morning, an officer who was on patrol duty encountered a man in the vicinity of Orange Walk, where he observed him attempting to climb the fence of the Bourda Market.
“In keeping with that, the rank would have raised a challenge to the individual, who came off the gate and would have opened fire at the constable,” Foo told a small news conference yesterday.
He added that the rank subsequently returned fire, which caused the man to flee the area. The rank subsequently gave chase and later called for backup, which was provided to him. Foo related that the man was then found by the officers in the vicinity of the Smith Memorial Congregational Church and was apprehended.
“The ranks later returned to that area, where a search was conducted and the pistol was retrieved from that area. That pistol had 15 live rounds,” Foo added, while stating that they would have informed the Alberttown Police Station about the discovery of the firearm and turned it over to the police.
Further investigations are being conducted, according to the Chief Constable, who reported that a check after the
incident revealed that no stalls were found broken into in the market.
Foo noted that security is always a concern in the area for the Constabulary. “We have a responsibility, we have a mandate in terms of providing security but policing has to do in terms of numbers, you have to be able to dominate the ground to deter persons from perpetrating offences,” he said.
He reported that over the last few weeks, a few stalls would have been broken into but the Constabulary was able to apprehend those persons and place them before the courts.
He added that the area is a hub of economic activity and needs improved security features, like lighting, as well as the presence of more uniformed ranks. He stated that while the Constabulary has a limited strength, it is still working to improve security.
