Bearers increasingly worried about their image, branded as robbers

A number of bearers who do business in and around the Corporate Area say they are becoming increasingly concerned about the problems that criminals traveling on motorcycles are creating for them.

Arnold White, a bearer who plies his trade in Kingston, said because of the negative image that criminals are creating, bearers believe they are subjected to numerous stops and searches by the police.

Some bearers are claiming that a recent incident in Portmore, St Catherine, in which a woman was held up and robbed of her cellphone and other valuables by a man dressed as a bearer, on September 29, has added even more ammunition to the ongoing argument.

A video of the incident posted on social media showed the woman standing at the front of a house when a man drove up, pulled and gun, and proceeded to rob her.

The criminal then left the area.

Members of the county’s Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) have intensified their efforts to clamp down on drivers of motorcycles who have been using them to commit a number of breaches while traveling on the road.

Police sources said the motorcycle is one of the forms of transportation popularly used by criminals when they are traveling to commit their crimes.