The Liberia National Police (LNP), on Tuesday, December 19, received a big consignment of auto theft detective equipment.
The device arrived in Liberia via Roberts International Airport (RIA), following a request from State security, particularly the Major Crimes Division of the LNP, that Liberia can join the rest of the world in its massive clampdown on auto theft, as the country now has a device to detect it.
The equipment is the first of its kind in Liberia and it has been turned over to the Liberia National Police (LNP) to be used by the Major Crimes Division. The two cutting-edge auto theft SPIMD/TV units were generously donated to the Liberia National Police by international partners.
The advanced auto theft detector, presented to the Major Crimes division, is expected to play a pivotal role in curbing the influx of stolen vehicles entering Liberia via all border entries. According to the LNP, the latest device can be used to detect stolen cars from any part of the world.
In 2019, some US$6.4 billion was lost to motor vehicle thefts, as 721,885 vehicles were reported stolen, according to the Crime Justice Information Service Division of the United States of America.
Despite those alarming numbers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports, it also shows that vehicle thefts have been trending since 1991.
As the cases of vehicle theft intensify, the United States and other western countries have assisted in developing devices and technology that help to detect whether a vehicle was stolen.
The device is a complete monitoring system with a TV attached, and it sends feedback whenever it detects that a given vehicle was stolen.
According to a police source, several high-ranking government officials and business tycoons in Liberia have been linked to the alleged trading of stolen vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Major Crimes Division of the Liberia National Police is expected to embark on tracking of stolen vehicles. Moreover, the new device will disclose additional information on the distance the car covered and from which country it was stolen.
Motor vehicle theft is a criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a vehicle. In the United States in 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reported stolen, up from 724,872 in 2019. Property losses due to motor vehicle theft in 2020 were estimated at US$7.4 billion. There were 505,100 car thefts in the EU in 2019, a 43% decrease from 2008.
In 2016, Representative Acarous Gray of District 8, Montserrado County, was entangled in a stolen vehicle case. The car was impounded by State security bearing his ‘HoR 32’ license plate. It was later reported that vehicle was being investigated over claims that it was stolen.
In 2015, Police Authorities in the State of Pennsylvania arrested and charged three Liberians allegedly involved in stealing cars from rental companies.
The suspects, Barbu Gay-Gay, 39, of Thinkers Village, Liberia; Sterling Idokogi, 27, of Elkins Park; and Mustapha Kamara, 47, of Upper Darby, were charged in Philadelphia with several counts of auto theft and related offenses.
