The past two weeks have seen a dozen reported incidents of carjackings in Belfast, and police now say that they believe “criminal gangs” are to blame. Since January 6th, there has been an increasing number of reported carjackings in and around Belfast and the majority of these have seen women being targeted by the as-yet-unnamed culprits.

One of the first victims, Andrea McVeigh, noted how unusual it was to see this type of crime committed in the city, especially as her carjacking took place on “one of the busiest streets in the city centre.” But within one week of this first incident, a further three carjackings had occurred and that statistic has now risen even further, leading to Chief Superintendent Alan McCrum insisting:

“They’re not going to get away with it, because we are going to hunt them down, let me be very clear about that … We have brought additional resources into the city, we’re bringing the highest level of investigative rigour to bear in all of this.”

At first, the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) were hesitant to confirm that these incidents were related to each other, with Superintendent Alan Todd initially assuring the city’s inhabitants that, “your chances of being a victim of this type of crime are very low in Northern Ireland.” Yet, a call for more succinct actions appears to have been necessitated in light of two more carjackings on Monday night (January 16th).

As of yet, there has been no suggested motive from either the victims or the police as to why single women have been the most common targets, but it has been contended that a mix of criminal gangs and “copy-cat” artists have sought to capitalize on the city’s seeming unability to tackle the situation effectively.

Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie reported on her blog that “the majority of these recent incidents have been ‘opportunist’ in nature”; however, it has yet to be determined what is motivating this behavior in the first place or what the correlations and distinctions might be between these gangs and “copy-cats”. The first victim, McVeigh, described the men as being in his:

“late teens, one with blond hair, wearing a navy or grey tracksuit whilst the second was about five ft ten inches tall with dark hair, wearing dark clothes and a baseball cap.”

Meanwhile, one of the more recent victims – unnamed by the Belfast Telegraph – encountered just one man and described him as being:

“in his early 20s and was wearing a dark-coloured hooded top with a light-coloured scarf over his face. He was also wearing jeans and white trainers.”

Despite the relative unconnectedness of these attacks with regards to their geographical locations, anyone with information is advised to telephone Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111.

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Search dogs picked up and followed a suspected gunman’s scent on a road at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, the campus chief of police said. Chief David Donaldson stated that the dogs unfortunately lost the suspect’s scent during an overnight search.

Classes have been continuing normally, even though the gunman reportedly fled to the college after a holdup, where he is thought to have escaped by car. The suspect robbed four people at a fast food restaurant and was still on the loose early last Tuesday. Students are allowed to attend classes and walk around the campus freely, but they were told to stay alert and report any suspicious activity they see.

The students that live on campus were advised to lock their doors and be extra cautious. Wilmington police used a K-9 unit and a helicopter to hunt down the criminal, who reportedly wore a red cloth over his face and was carrying a handgun. Extra police officers have been assigned to the campus as well. Dana Fischetti, the school’s spokeswoman, said that instructions were announced that advised students to stay in secure places, not long after the armed robbery.

Two safety alerts were posted on the school’s website, warning students that a gunman may be on campus. The warning was lifted the next day at five in the morning and was used as a “precautionary measure,” according to Donaldson. Police officers canvassed the area and went through the campus’ buildings, including the residence halls.

The college is located on the coastline of North Carolina and is distinguished for its marine research programs. Around 13,000 students attend UNC, and the number has grown since 2002. The school is also sometimes used as a training camp for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.

Last August, there was an incident with another gunman on campus. The school’s emergency alert system failed to notify students as the police searched for the suspect of the shooting at a close by apartment complex, which drew concerns from officials at the university. Donaldson had ordered a campus-wide alert to go out through students’ phones and e-mail, but it was never sent.

Officials believe this was due to human error, not a technical difficulty. The university’s emergency alert system also has the ability to interrupt television on campus and alert students through social media outlets. It was first adopted following the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech to alert students of emergencies through many different ways in a minimal amount of time.

KellyNelson / Shutterstock.com

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