Residents of Ensom City, St Catherine, say they are like sitting ducks while car thieves wreaked havoc, robbing people and stealing vehicles at gunpoint.

A resident who contacted THE STAR last week, said that in the last two weeks, there were at least three incidents that she was aware of but said the actual figure may be larger.

"Two Saturdays ago the thieves held up a man and took his car right at his gate. They took him away in the vehicle but released him later," she said. "I heard that it was two men and a girl that stole the car and one of them had a gun."

The concerned woman continued: "Last Friday they also held up and robbed a teacher's car. She had come home to catch Schools' Challenge Quiz when just as she was on her car porch the men came up to the door and ordered her to give them the keys."

escaped

The source said in that incident, the crooks tried to shove the woman on to the back seat of the vehicle after getting the keys but luck favoured the victim as she managed to run off. The thugs, already having gained access to the car, drove away.

In the third incident, the source spoke of an attempt that was made on a churchgoer last Sunday afternoon as she returned from her place of worship with her young son.

Jesus!

THE STAR was told that the thugs pounced on the woman and demanded her car keys but the woman started calling out for "Jesus!" and the crooks left.

The source told THE STAR that in other incidents, the criminals stole cars when unsuspecting drivers were preparing to go to work. The woman said the thugs waited until the victims left their cars running and went back to close their gates before they made their move. In one case, the source said the armed thugs went up to the vehicle and ordered the six-year-old child of the victim out of the car before making off.

"The police knows about the situation but so help me God, we are not even seeing a patrol car or anything," she said. "This has been going on for a long time and we fear the worst around here."

Another resident, a male, also corroborated the sources story when contacted by THE STAR.

Several attempts to contact Superintendent Assan Thompson, head of the St Catherine North Division were unsuccessful as his cellphone rang without an answer.

A senior cop from the Spanish Town Police Station, however, said that the police were doing all they could. He said that with the limited resources they have, they were trying to combat the situation.