(Jamaica Gleaner) A brazen daylight robbery of the Jamaica National Bank Money Shop in Whitehouse, Westmoreland, on Tuesday has raised concern among the police that they can’t distinguish hoodlums from law-abiding citizens observing coronavirus protocols.
Scores of commuters and taxi operators in the western Jamaica town scampered as three armed men wearing masks made off with $3.2 million.
Superintendent Robert Gordon, commander of the Westmoreland Police Division, lamented that the mandatory wearing of masks was undermining the police’s capacity to assert their authority.
“When it comes to robberies of this nature, the police are having a challenge to differentiate criminals from law-abiding residents due to the implementation of the wearing of masks, which is one of the restrictions governing COVID-19,” Gordon told The Gleaner.
“The police can no longer tell a criminal from honest residents, because it is now legal for everyone to wear a mask in public.”
Gordon is calling for members of the public who have information to assist the police in their investigations.
Reports by the Whitehouse police are that shortly after 11:30 a.m., three men wearing masks walked into the bank posing as customers.
After spending several minutes inside the bank, the men brandished handguns and held all four employees, customers and an on-duty security guard at gunpoint. They then relieved the guard of his service pistol and beat him.
The robbers then stole cash, taking the guard’s pistol as well. They then held up a taxi operator at gunpoint and commandeered the vehicle.
A female passenger who was reportedly dragged from the hijacked taxi said that she was terrified.
“One a di gunman dem grab mi and drag mi from outa the back a di taxi and tell mi fi run. Den mi see dem jump inna the car and drive off. Until now mi still a tremble like a leaf,” she said.
