Plain clothes police are carrying out their duties incognito by pretending to be commuters to apprehend pickpockets during the Christmas holiday.

The cops are mindful that pickpockets and larcenists are out in their numbers and have themselves been pretending to be shoppers and passengers who board buses to avoid detection from law abiding citizens.

"The police are likely to play the role they think necessary at the time. Whether it means boarding a bus from downtown to Cross Roads," Inspector Percival Buddan of The City Centre Police Station said. "It all depends on information the police receive and acting on suspicion. The police are not locked in a box. We have a special street crime unit that deals with those kinds of things such as larceny and possession of offensive weapons." Buddan said the police have devised counteractive measures to identify the culprits and apprehend them. "Women are increasingly becoming involved in these activities especially in the use of razor blades and sharp instruments to cut bags in crowded places," the top cop asserted.

He highlighted that in a counteractive response, plain clothes cops have been dispatched in hot spots to keep a watchful eye.

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"The police have been taking measures to correct some of these illegal activities. We have police in plain clothes and we have increased police presence in areas that commuters would congregate awaiting their buses and we are keeping a watch on wholesales," Buddan said.

At the same time, Buddan took the opportunity to reassure persons that downtown remains a safe place to travel and transact business.

"Downtown Kingston still remains one of the safest places to do business when compared to many other countries that have a business district of this magnitude in terms of the level of crimes that have been reported,".

Information reaching THE STAR suggests that the criminals have been loitering around some bus terminals in downtown Kingston including North and South parades from as early as 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

"Them pretend like dem a go home. So when the bus dem drive in and people rush towards the buses, dem rush inna the crowd to and pree people," one woman said." Because the place crowded and everybody a push, u naw go know a who pick you, a something dem do all the while."