Computer holding operations data stolen from police station

A computer containing key operational information has been stolen from the operations room at the Kingston Central Police Station in downtown Kingston and, more than a week later, the lawmen are yet to determine how it was stolen, who carried out the robbery, and where the computer is now.

The Gleaner understands that the police discovered that the computer had been stolen last Tuesday, but news of the theft only started leaking out on Sunday.

Head of the Kingston Central Police Division, Superintendent Victor Hamilton, yesterday acknowledged the incident.

"I can confirm the theft, but at this stage of the investigation, there is no more I can say," Hamilton told The Gleaner.

But sources said the computer was stolen from the general area of the station some time last Tuesday night.

According to the sources, the computer contains information on the number of patrols conducted by the police, the areas patrolled, and stop-and-search operations which are all forwarded to the Police High Command and the National Intelligence Bureau.

"I would be surprised if there was any intelligence material stored on that computer, but that is not impossible," said one source.

"The computer could have been stolen for several reasons, but it is unlikely that the thief will be using it because then it could be traced. So I suspect that there is something on it that someone wants destroyed," added the source.