Recent armed robberies taking place in St. Thomas’ diamond district have prompted police to seek what they hope will be new crime-fighting strategies. Concern among merchants operating in the area of Main Street has garnered attention at Government House.
But while some members of the business sector say they would welcome heightened security, they also say they’re cautious about how to reach that objective.
The most recent incident — captured on security recordings — took place on March 5, depicting masked individuals pointing firearms and taking merchandise from a shattered glass display case. That incident took place nearly two months after a group of masked and armed intruders took an undisclosed amount of merchandise from Precious Jewels on Jan. 7.
An increase in police surveillance was apparent by Wednesday, with five cruise ships making port and foot traffic brisk in the shopping district, VIPD patrol cars were visible among the taxis and vehicles heading west along Main Street.
VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte on Friday called investigations into those robberies ongoing; some progress appeared in February when five persons were detained and questioned about the January heist. One of those suspects, when questioned by detectives, admitted taking part in a conspiracy to rob the store.
One day after the latest incident, St. Thomas-Water Island Deputy Police Chief Rael Donastorg made a recorded appeal to the public for help. “I really would like to catch these individuals and curtail the robberies,” Donastorg said.
The deputy chief also announced a public outreach effort to recruit Main Street area businesses willing to work closely with police. Pash Daswani, head of the India Association of the Virgin Islands, said he has had direct talks with Donastorg over that initiative.
Daswani expressed concern about some of the technical aspects. “What I’ve offered is, let’s put up some cameras on the balconies of the buildings that are already in play. We can go to owners and say ‘Hey — let’s put up two cameras’ — and if that doesn’t work we’re happy to give them access to the outside cameras of our individual stores,” he said.
Attempts to reach St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce President John Woods, for comment, were unsuccessful.
Donastorg’s appeal, posted to the VIPD Facebook page, is urging anyone who may have seen or heard anything connected to the March 5 robbery to leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers USVI at 800-222-8477 (TIPS).
