Tension is high among residents of Linden since there has been an increasing number of armed robberies by gunmen or a lone gunman and they are calling on the Commissioner of Police to take a personal interest by ensuring that a stronger team of officers is deployed to the area.
This call came in the wake of two robberies committed early Tuesday evening when two individuals were beaten and robbed by a gun-toting bandit. Both attacks occurred between 7:00 and 8:00 pm on Tuesday.
Clifton Alli of Wismar Housing Scheme Squatting area said that shortly before 8 pm he was sitting with two friends in front of a shop close to his home when he heard a banging sound and on looking up he noticed a man brandishing a gun. “The sound I heard was the gunman hitting my friend in his head with the gun, I got really scared and braced my face up against the shop because I was so scared I never had such an experience in my whole life,” the man said.
Alli said that at the time his two friends were seated on a bench adjacent to the one he was on and he was focused on deleting some files from an Ipod using a laptop, for one of his friends. He said that after assaulting his friend Jason Harry, the gunman ordered his two other friends to sit on the same bench with him and demanded cell phones and cash. “He seh leh we give he all we money and asked if we had any cell phone.”
The man said that the bandit was not paying much attention to him and he was contemplating a move to hide the laptop and make good his escape. However, he was apprehended and the laptop and Ipod were taken away. No one in the neighbourhood was around at the time and the man made good his escape. “When he tek the laptop he said – look a gone, look look, yah better run.” With that one of the friends ran up the road while Ali and Harry ran into the house. “We went and get a cutlass and by the time we come out back he done clear the street, he disappeared into thin air.”
They then went to the Wismar Police to make a report when they met 23-year-old Steve Hossanah of Half Mile Wismar who was then reporting that he was beaten in the head and robbed of $35,000.
Efforts by Stabroek News to contact Hosannah proved futile but according to a police source he reported that shortly after 7 pm while sitting at the front of his business place he was held at gunpoint by a lone gunman, gun-butted in the head and relieved of $35,000.
Several persons in both neighbourhoods have expressed the view that the police officers at Linden are unable to deal with the problem and cannot apprehend the gunman who has been on a rampage in the community since the start of the New Year.
“A main businessman done get kill, another big business get rob and now small man getting rob, dis place ain’t safe no more and we are very much concern, you see if people tek matters in deh own hands it gon be another story because we could come together and do serious things,” said one resident.
Some expressed the fear of leaving their homes, while others said that they are finding it difficult to sleep at nights. “This thing is getting from bad to worse and Henry Greene (Commissioner of Police) got to get more serious and send a strong team in this place to deal with this situation before it gets worse.”
“Mr. Green you gat to do something about this now,” said another woman. She added that it is important that the police print and mount the image of the gunman caught on camera at the A&R cosmetic store since they feel strongly he is dwelling in the community as a normal individual. Earlier this month prominent Linden businessman Albert ‘Bolo’ Joseph was fatally shot and robbed of a cell phone, less than $10,000 cash and jewellery.
A&R Cosmetics was robbed of more than $100,000 in cash and staff relieved of jewellery. Both attacks were done by a lone gunman who was caught on camera.
Police at Linden had mounted several search exercises for the gunman but came up empty-handed although a number of persons were arrested but subsequently released.
