The continuing influx into Mahdia, driven by a recent gold rush, has been accompanied by a rise in petty crimes, and some uneasy residents are calling for increased security in the area.
Recently there have been a number of robberies, burglaries and car breakages in the area. Added to that, there was a report of the brutal rape of a young woman, who was found naked and in a semi-conscious state in an area called Campbell Town.
When contacted, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud was adamant that there was no increase in crime in the mining community. He went as far as to dismiss it as a lie, before explaining that there has been no increase in serious crime, including armed robberies and rapes there. He said, however, that there has been a general increase in crime within the ‘E and F’ Division, in which Mahdia falls.
In an invited comment, Regional Chairman Senor Bell noted that there has been an influx of persons in the community, and that residents’ fear some might be criminals. However, he explained that the serious crimes do not occur in Mahdia but in the Backdam areas, which include Tiger Creek and Black Water.
“The gold prices will put us in danger because the prices keep going up,” Bell said, adding that most people go to Mahdia looking for jobs, while others pretend they are job seekers and end up committing crimes.
“What we need is a Joint Services operation to have their presence felt in the region in general. You would find that the criminals would not be traversing all the time,” he added.
He said that at the moment residents are “keeping their eyes open” but that could only be done during morning hours. Bell also noted that the community has a policing group, comprising businesspersons, which patrols twice a week. However, he noted that petty crimes in the area usually occur around 1 am.
Bell stressed that committing a serious crime in Mahdia is not easy, since there is only one entrance and exit in the community. He said that either way, the perpetrators have to cross Mango Landing, from where many areas can be accessed. As a result, he suggested that a police station is needed there.
He said that between Mahdia and Mango Landing, there are many mining camps persons can go to. He noted that the backdam areas are vast as well and one would find that the strangers would come out at nights when there is “action [parties].” Bell said in spite of this situation, Mahdia is not a place to be scared about.
Very afraid
Meanwhile, a woman who has been living in the community for more than 20 years said the crime situation is very bad and she is very afraid. She said years ago residents slept comfortably with their doors open, partied into the wee hours and were never afraid to walk along the dark trails. She said these things now belong to the past.
The electricity supply to the area is shut off at 10 pm, leaving many parts in darkness. The resident, who did not want her name published, said that there are many tracks or short cuts which people traverse on their way home from work or partying. One area, called ‘dead turn,’ sees regular robberies. “People can’t walk freely at nights” the woman stressed.
The resident said the situation at the hospital is also worrying, while explaining that staff there have no proper security, since only female guards are on duty at night. This newspaper was also told of a recent incident were an attempt was made to enter the nurses’ room through a window. According to the resident, staff members who work the night shift are most at risk. One of the staff members has to travel as far as the airstrip to get home and because of the continuing criminal attacks is forced to pay $1,000 taxi fare to get home safely.
The resident said the members of the policing group do not patrol into the early hours.
While calling on the police to put measures in place to deal with the influx of strange persons, the resident added that it is frightening to note that some of these persons have been identified as criminals. She claimed that one man was convicted of rape. She felt gambling and drug abuse are the main contributors to the crime in the area. “We got a lot of junkies on the road,” she stressed.
This newspaper was told that many persons who flock to the community do not have any place to stay. As a result, they form small groups and travel into the backdam area.
The resident added that areas such as Black Water and White Water also have their fair share of troubles. She said that the roads leading to these areas are in a terrible condition and this often poses a challenge to the police.
Meanwhile, another resident said that he too has noticed an increase in petty crimes. He said that lots of people are attracted to gold and have travelled to the area as a result. He said there are not enough ranks to deal with the number of persons going into the community, while adding that there has been not only an increase in people, but also an increase in vehicles.
