Back-to-School Shoppers Urged to Be Vigilant

Persons engaging in back-to-school shopping are being reminded to remain vigilant while doing so.

Member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Corporate Communications Unit and one of the organisation’s social media managers, Corporal Kayla Keane, advises parents who may be out shopping with children to be mindful of the fact that the youngsters are most vulnerable at this time.

“Keep them held by the hand. Don’t allow them to just be wandering around, because persons can use them to get to you,” she explained.

Corporal Keane also encourages parents to “educate your children about assisting you in being aware of your surroundings”.

“You can tell the child to be observant of persons who are too close to you. We have seen cases where parents are targeted by pickpockets and afterwards the child said they noticed the person was trailing them, but they didn’t think to mention it to their parents,” she further told JIS News.

Another area that parents and general shoppers should be mindful of is how they store goods purchased.

“Don’t just take for granted that you can just put the items into the car on the… seat, [as] some of you may not have tinted windows and persons may be tempted to break into your car,” Corporal Keane said.

Additionally, persons conducting transactions using cash are advised to do so discreetly, while limiting the quantity of money in hand, and where possible, use bank cards instead.

Corporal Keane also advised that women carrying large handbags are also at risk of falling prey to thieves.

“There is no sense in carrying a large, oversized handbag that you can barely manoeuvre.

A fanny pack might be a better option for you… it’s close to your body. You just zip, you get the money, you pay for what you’re paying for, and you move along,” she added.