New group to tackle cattle theft in Reg. 5 – Pres. Ali

A special ‘anti-rustling’ group will be developed in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) to crack down on cattle rustling, President Dr Irfaan Ali revealed on Sunday during the launch of the Black Belly Sheep Project.

While many farmers lauded this initiative by the government, they also voiced their concerns about the numerous thefts in the region.

“These are real issues and we have to confront them because security is an important part of the building of any sector or industry,” the President said.

Regional Commander Senior Superintendent Kurleigh Simon had revealed that between three to four reports of cattle theft are reported every week.

But one of the challenges the police in the region face is accessing the backlands since they do not have the required vehicles.

And so, the police monitor ‘cattle in transit’ – that is persons who buy these animals and transport them from one location to another.

But there is also another challenge of several unbranded animals and therefore, the owners are hard to identify.

President Ali on Sunday told the farmers that branding is very important since it assists in incidents where farmers leave their animals unattended. The animals are supposed to be branded within six months of birth.