Byron McDaniel, Gleaner Writer
DURING THE festive season, Mandeville police said that pickpockets from as far away as Kingston descended on Manchester's major town in large numbers, using increasingly sophisticated ploys on their intended victims.
Accompanied by a detective, this correspondent went undercover for several hours over the last weekend in the bustling towns of Christiana and Mandeville to see pickpockets in action in the large pre-Christmas crowds.
The Gleaner observed different methods of operation. One involved two or more pickpockets who would masquerade as peddlers with merchandise for sale, where one would distract the target, while the other would look out for police. Another way involved the use of females who would act as lookouts, and sometimes would be active participants in the deception. One was observed commenting to an intended victim, "yuh neva see the boy wid him hand inna yuh pocket", and while the would-be victim instinctively checked his pockets or his cash, males then swooped down, and collided with him in a clumsy manner. The pickpockets, however, were unsuccessful in that attempt.
THRIVE ON DISORDER
"These people frequent the markets, the transport centres, banks and stores, and they thrive on disorder, chaos and distractions. They also ensure a 360-degree vision of their operation area by each looking in different angles. We had reports of one man who, after snatching a knapsack from an elderly man in Mandeville, was hit down by a car. The man recovered his bag, but the thief escaped with his life and a few good licks from bystanders," the police officer said.
Between Friday and Saturday, several persons, especially ladies, lost their shopping money to pickpockets.
However, checks with the Mandeville police revealed that no one had made any reports of the pickpockets' attacks.
