Dear Editor,
I live in La Grange, West Bank Demerara. Currently myself and my family are having a rather difficult time enjoying the evening or sleeping early. My neighbour on the eastern side of my property finds a rather unusual time to play their music set between the hours of 7.30 pm to 9.30pm. I would also like to mention that my house is approximately 15 feet from the neighbour’s house wall. When I want to sleep I have to wait on them most nights until they go to sleep, after 10 pm. The music played is the ‘Movado’ type with foul language and swearing – not something I want my children exposed to.
The offenders are two school-age children who are left alone at home without adult supervision at night, and do very much anything and everything they please. Most times they turn off their television around 12 at night. The mother works at night with a city security service, and during the day at a nursery school.
At one time in 2008 these two children had some friends over at around 9.45 pm and were very rowdy; I have three small children aged 1-7 who were sleeping at the time, and my mother scolded the two children in question. The next morning their mother gave my mom the ‘cussing’ of her life. I called the police and my father made a report at the La Grange Police Station. Promises were made by the police to come and investigate, but as is the norm, they never showed up.
However, in December of 2009, my father was cleaning the drain, which belongs to him, that divides the two properties and was also cutting a branch that was hanging over our property when suddenly the police patrol vehicle showed up with the mother.
The officer claimed that the woman had reported to him that my father had stepped onto her rented property to cut the branches without her permission. Later in front of the officer she admitted this was not true. But she has ‘friends’ in the police or certainly knows someone who does.
My point is, when you need an officer from the police station they tell you to come in, but they never come themselves, and when they do come, it’s better if they hadn’t. For example, one night when the neighbour on the western side was playing music until 2 am and I called the police station and was told with great disrespect that they could not come and that I must come down at that hour to make a report. I am sure he heard the noise in the background. I am calling on the Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate and also the Ministry of Social Services to investigate the situation with these children as early as possible.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
