To catch a thief!
By Rebecca Miller

The pouring rain had barely ceased yesterday at about 8:30 am when a young man appearing to be in his early twenties darted off across Micoud street with two men in hot pursuit in the vicinity of Access Dry Goods store. “Hold him, hold that man,” they shouted in unison while some passersby joined in yelling, “Thief,” in our vernacular.
The commotion seemed to attract very little attention, for the early morning commuters went about their own business as if oblivious to what was occurring.
“What happened there,” some inquisitive passerby questioned.
“That man just pricked a girl in the bakery and took her purse,” one of the suspect’s pursuers who had somehow decided to give up the chase said angrily.
Of course, the general consensus was that if the alleged purse snatcher was armed there was very little anyone could do in apprehending him.
“Well the man has a knife, so who will hold him? I will not let anybody stab me,” one curious onlooker said.
“If it were your relative I am sure you would think differently,” the other man who had been running after the so-called thief retorted. He too had given up the chase.
At a grocery supermarket nearby, an officer attached to the Special Service Unit of the Royal St Lucia Police Force was apprised of the situation which had occurred a few minutes before he had entered. Outside another officer waited in a police pickup truck.

“When we heard the cry to, “hold him,” we were inside of ….. “(He named the other grocery outlet in which he and his colleague were apparently shopping.
Well those who were complaining to the officer were not too pleased with his response and they told him so in no uncertain terms.
“Well, said the officer in his defense, “When we shoot these fellas’ you all are the same ones who say we should not shoot them, so what you all expect?
Some shoppers nearby, agreed with the cop.
“It is so ticklish. We just expect the cops to do what we want them to do and how we want them to do it. The police officer is so right,” one woman said.
But another male customer said, “Cops are not hired to shoot people.”
Another person asked, “What then do we expect the police to do with guys like the one who just robbed the woman this early morning?”
The rain started again and everybody sought shelter as best they could from the downpour. The cop entered the truck and drove off.
Amidst the senseless blabbering crowd this reporter failed to locate the alleged victim because she apparently had removed herself from the scene of the crime.