homes while the occupants were out celebrating, Police reported.

In one case, a Paget woman returned home around 6.30 p.m. on New Year's Day and was stunned to see two men running from her front yard, a Police spokeswoman said. The thieves had ransacked her bedroom and stolen a small amount of cash.

A tourist staying at a Southampton guest house was also the victim of a theft.

She returned to her guest room at about 11.50 p.m. on Saturday to see an intruder leaving her room.

She discovered he had stolen her handbag containing $500 cash and personal items.

Investigations into the thefts are continuing.

POLICE BUSY WITH ACCIDENTS AC The New Year's holiday proved busy for Police with 17 road traffic accidents reported between Friday and Saturday nights.

The most serious accident left a 21-year-old Smith's Parish man in the hospital's intensive care unit with head injuries. He was listed in satisfactory condition last night.

He had been driving his motorbike east on North Shore Road in Smith's Parish at about 10.30 p.m. on Saturday when he was in collision with a 54-year-old Pembroke man driving his car in the same direction.

Both cars were badly damaged and an investigation is underway. But the good news, Police said, was that only one of the 17 smashes involved a drunk driver.

"The general public are heeding the advice -- don't drink and drive,'' spokeswoman Sgt. Roseanda Jones said yesterday. "Only two men were arrested for impaired driving on New Year's Eve, one of our most celebrated holidays.

This is equal to last year's figures.'' In the first case, Police said a 21-year-old Warwick man crashed his motorcycle in Warwick on New Year's Eve. No one else was involved.

He sustained minor injuries and refused the alco-analyser. The other impaired driving arrest took place on Front Street when Police suspected a 30-year-old Pembroke man of driving drunk. He failed the test.

MASON HAS HIS SAW STOLEN CRM A self-employed mason who left his tools at a Devonshire construction site reported that a thief had stolen a saw.

"He returned last Thursday morning to get his tools and discovered that a piece of equipment had been removed,'' a Police spokesperson said.

The stolen blue Makita saw is worth about $200.

SANDYS RESIDENT HAS CAR STOLEN CRM Thieves stole a Sandys resident's car from his Mount Pleasant Road home. The man parked his car on Thursday afternoon and returned almost two hours later to find it gone.

The vehicle is a grey/blue Hyundai, registered 11125. Anyone who sees this vehicle should contact the Police on 911.

The Bright Temple AME Church in Warwick was also hit by thieves who entered the building early last Thursday morning.

They forced open a large heavy window and stole food which had been donated to the church nursery. The groceries were valued at $700.

TV STOLEN FROM CANADIAN HOTEL CRM A 13-inch television set worth $500 was stolen last week after someone broke into the Canadian Hotel Office on Reid Street Police reported.

The thief gained entry by breaking a pane of glass. Once inside the office they searched and then took the television.