Careless practices leading to increase in praedial larceny- Police

A LACK OF DUE DILIGENCE by persons carrying out commercial activities in the agricultural sector is said to be contributing to increased incidents of praedial larceny and headache for some farmers.

Police elaborated on the challenges encountered by law enforcement in the fight against praedial larceny on the January 23, 2025 edition of Cop Chat on WEFM.

Sergeant of Police, Marlon Pitt, said often vendors and other individuals are not verifying the sources of produce before purchasing. He also said farmers are sometimes also guilty of committing acts of praedial larceny against other farmers.

“Praedial larceny is a bit on the rise. There are a lot of agricultural areas in St Vincent and the Grenadines and where livestock and farm produce are concerned, a lot of persons they might farm and have animals but sometimes they also are the culprits,” Sergeant Pitt explained, adding that it is sometimes “hard now for the police to catch up with” farmers who commit these offenses.

During the 18th session of the Caribbean Agriculture Week held in October, 2024 in SVG, praedial larceny was identified as one of the priority items which continues to retard the growth of the sector.

Sergeant Pitt warned, “If your purchase something from somebody without farmers ID, it might very well be stolen goods”.

He said stop and searches are conducted by the police and drivers are questioned as to the source of the produce they are transporting.

“Sometimes the vendors accompany the drivers on the truck. The problem we’re having is vendors purchasing produce and livestock from persons without Farmers ID.”

He pointed to a lack of due diligence being practiced by vendors, and warned that they too can find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

“Please be careful who you [are] buying produce from because at the end of the day, you can get into trouble if there is a suspicion of something stolen,” Sergeant Pitt cautioned.

Police Corporal, Kenroy Campbell, who is attached to the Rose Hall Police Station advised drivers to properly label the goods they are transporting to give account as to the source of the produce.

“For farmers who usually transport their stuff to Kingstown, when police are out doing their checks,to speed up things… it is advised that if your stuff is in a tray, put your name on it. It would speed up the process because if you want to get to town for five o’clock, if your name is there it is easier for police to record,” he said.

“For those drivers who transport without a farmer…get the names of the persons and write it on there.”

On the issue of livestock theft, Corporal Campbell said there are instances where community members and butchers are aware that praedial larceny has taken place. He urged residents not to hesitate to report these incidents to the police.