NEWS BRIEFS
Car thieves held
TWO of four men who reportedly stole a motor car in Portmore, St Catherine, were later arrested in a police dragnet on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston Wednesday night. Two firearms, a quantity of ganja, the stolen car and a second vehicle were seized in the incident, the police said.
The identity of the two men is, however, being withheld, pending an identification parade.
The police reported that about 8:15 pm, members of a police patrol responded to a call that a white Toyota Corolla motor car, registered 5710 DR, stolen in Portmore, was heading towards Three Miles with two men aboard.
The motor car was intercepted at the intersection of Marcus Garvey Drive and Ashenheim Road and the men and car searched. Two firearms, a Beretta semi automatic pistol with serial # erased, a Sig Sauer semi automatic pistol serial # B178058 and two magazines containing a total of 41 rounds of 9mm ammunition were found in the car.
A second Toyota corolla motor car, registered 1790 DH, that was reportedly travelling as anescort with two men aboard, attempted to flee the dragnet and in an ensuing chase crashed into a parked Toyota station wagon at the intersection of Kidd Lane and Bowens Road. The occupants of the car reportedly escaped on foot in the area after engaging the police in a shoot-out. Two bags of cured ganja were found in the vehicle, which was subsequently seized for ballistic and forensic testing.
UWI reopens Seismograph station
THE Seismograph station of the University of the West Indies’ Earthquake Unit was officially reopened Wednesday in Stony Hill, St Andrew, where co-sponsors, Globe Insurance Company of the West Indies, pledged a further three-year support for the unit.
The Seismograph station, which was recently refurbished by nearly $550,000, courtesy of Globe Insurance, will boost the Earthquake Unit’s ability to research and assess major earthquakes in Jamaica and abroad.
Globe’s managing director, Evan Thwaites, said his company was very pleased to have been involved in a project which will benefit almost all sectors in the society.
“We felt that as an institution taking risks, we need to understand the possible dangers an earthquake could pose,” he said. “Unfortunately, every piece of property in Jamaica and life in Jamaica is prone to earthquake hazards.”