Tackling San Fernando crime begins with tackling covid19

A series of deadly incidents in the San Fernando business district and environs has raised concerns about the increasingly brazen nature of criminal activity and its crippling effect on one of the country’s largest business hubs.

There has been a spate of murders and robberies, including one incident at the carpark of a popular mall as well as another incident at High Street, where Andy Macias Hosein, 33, was killed by bandits who robbed a jewellery store where he worked.

The latter incident underlined several deficiencies in law enforcement operations in the area, matters which authorities must urgently address.

According to Greater San Fernando Chamber president Kiran Singh, he encountered no police patrols in operation after Saturday’s incident, driving around the city for about 90 minutes. He finally called senior police officers to alert them.

It took about 30 minutes for police to arrive on the scene, even though the San Fernando station is a stone’s throw away.

Addressing the lack of visible police patrols in the area, acting Commissioner of Police Mc Donald Jacob admitted there has been an absence of such patrols due to covid19 and quarantine measures.

“We are getting a serious lash from covid19,” he told this newspaper. “What I understand is that there were not adequate foot patrols. There are 22 people in San Fernando on quarantine and relevant adjustments were not made quickly enough.”

These disclosures are disturbing. They suggest an inability on the part of the police to adequately perform their functions in relation to one of the busiest commercial areas of the country due to the strain of the virus.

What makes this even more troubling is the fact that the pandemic demands greater police vigilance at precisely this moment, not less.

As pointed out by San Fernando Business Association president Daphne Bartlett, more and more people are unemployed, making the likelihood of criminal activity higher.

“Some people have now resorted to eating one meal a day,” Ms Bartlett said in the wake of Saturday’s incident. “I don’t know if leaders are aware of this.”

Ms Bartlett is calling for two things: a resumption of joint army/police patrols and a stimulus package for small businesses in order to kick-start the economy.

Meanwhile, Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds sees the matter as one relating to the availability of illicit guns.

“You can’t have a gunman if you don’t have a gun,” Hinds said on Saturday, as he called on citizens to report gun crimes. San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello has also urged criminals to put down their weapons.

Police visibility is important and special quarantine rules should be devised when it comes to officers, in addition to the planned rollout of public sector safe zones.

Joint army patrols might be a useful stop gap measure. However, this is contingent on the health of the army’s numbers.

Either way, until these basic staffing issues are addressed, it is of little use asking members of the public to risk their lives to come forward to report crime. We need the police to return to their full capacity.