The Editor, Sir:

Re the story 'Cops bust chop shop' in The Gleaner of June 1, I would like to know whether the premises were placed under surveillance beforehand. Had the police done what they ought to have done, they could have moved in on the operation and arrested or detained almost simultaneously, most if not all the people involved in stealing and supplying the vehicles, those who were cutting them, and those who were receiving the parts for sale.

There is no excuse for the police not having a cordon in place on the day they moved in on the 'Chop Shop'. Those who ran should have ended up in the waiting arms of police or soldiers. Instead, they are free to start another multi-million- dollar operation soon. Their approach is typical of crime fighting and no doubt, one of the reasons crime continues, to be such a problem.

I am, etc.,

LEMMAR MONCRIEFFE

rammelss@yahoo.com

Gayle P.O. St. Mary

Via Go-Jamaica