A Newtown, Kitty restaurateur was badly beaten and robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash on Thursday night during an attack by armed bandits and neighbours said calls made to the 911 service to get help went unanswered.
The attack occurred around 11.30pm on Thursday at the Hing Fa Restaurant, which is located at Lot 99 Garnett Street, Newtown, Kitty. The restaurant is located on the lower flat of the two-storey building, while the restaurant’s owner resides in the upper flat with his wife and son.
At the time of the attack, the restaurant was already closed for the day.
Stabroek News was told that the restaurateur was about to secure his motorcycle, which was parked in the yard, when three men, armed with handguns, scaled the fence and attacked him.
He was reportedly dragged into the house and beaten about his body while the men demanded cash and other valuables, which was eventually handed over to them. During the attack, which lasted for approximately 20 minutes, the neighbours tried several times to contact the police via 911 but the calls went unanswered.
One neighbour recounted hearing the restaurateur shouting for “Help!” As a result, he said he tried to call the police. “I call 911 so much times and couldn’t get no answer. After I ain’t get on to them, I call the Guyana Fire Service and the person who answer the phone tell me that she will give me a number for Brickdam Police Station but I didn’t take no number because at that point in time, with all the fear and frustration, I probably couldn’t even remember the number by the time I hang up and call back,” he said.
The man noted that the bandits discharged one round before escaping in a waiting car, which was parked a short distance from the scene. Residents recalled seeing the car circling the area earlier in the evening.
The restaurateur was taken to the hospital, where he was said to be receiving treatment up to yesterday afternoon.
Last Friday, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) voiced its concern that the 911 emergency system, which is essential for any citizen who is under threat to be able to request a police response, is not functioning.
“People are dying, people are being hurt… The 911 system, in my view, is a national emergency and everybody from the President right down should not go to bed at night if this 911 system is not working and I am appalled that they do,” PSC executive Captain Gerry Gouveia had told a press conference, where the less than satisfactory operation of the service was mentioned multiple times.
On Monday, acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine said that the service remains problematic and he hoped that the requisite attention would be given to fix it.
He said he was aware that 911 has been experiencing problems over the past few years and recalled that the previous government had a consultant from abroad and had also engaged stakeholders, including the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), Digicel, senior officers from Guyana Police Force and some other agencies, including members of the society who had deep concerns, and who still do, over the proper functioning of the 911 service.
He said that the problem still exists to date and he noted that under the proposal for the Safe City Smart Street project, the 911 system would again come under focus.
