Men held with stolen meat

Head of the St Catherine South police, Senior Superintendent Clive Blair, said that the police are taking a zerotolerance approach to cattle thieves in the parish.

“Persons have to be sure as to where they buy meat, especially during this time of year. Persons are going to farms and other places to steal cows and goats and pigs to a lesser extent. To buy these meats can be very risky as they aren’t inspected,” Blair said.

He said the police have forged an alliance with the St Catherine Health Department to deal with the problem.

His warnings came after the police took three men into custody after they were held with a quantity of unfit meat on a farm. The police also seized three vehicles.

The names of the men have been withheld by the investigators.

ACTED ON INFORMATION

Reports from the police are that about noon on Sunday, a police team acted on information and went to a farm in Marlie Mount in the parish.

Upon arrival of the lawmen, a number of persons fled in different directions, but the three men were held.

During a check, it was observed carcasses of cows, pigs and goats. A further check revealed a quantity of similar meat in a refrigerator on the premises.

The health department was contacted and inspectors deemed the carcasses unfit for human consumption. They subsequently burnt the carcasses.

Meanwhile, Chief Public Health Inspector for St Catherine, Grayson Hutchinson, said that persons must be on the alert as persons are trying to get sale for stolen meat.

“We’ve even confiscated 50 pounds of pork and two goat carcasses in the market in St Catherine and we (health inspectors) remain vigilant,” Hutchinson said.

He said that persons could be prosecuted under the Public Health Act.

The police said that the animals were stolen from a farm in Bernard Lodge, also in St Catherine.