Visitors to Palmiste Park are welcome, but not after dark.
While the Palmiste commuinty is generally known to be safe, the park is no place for couples at night, says vice chairman of Palmiste Park committee Roland Halls.Heis warning people, especially young lovers, against visiting the park after hours.
Couple attacked, woman raped
Hiswarning comes after a violent and sexual assault on a couple in the park around 9.30 pm on Tuesday.
A late evening stroll at Palmiste Park, located on the outskirts of San Fernando, turned into a nightmare for couple after they were attacked by two men, robbed, beaten and the woman raped.
Even though the park has proper lighting, police believe the bandits were lurking in the bushes, waiting for potential victims.
The park is usually frequented by dozens of joggers at evenings, most of whom leave by 8 pm.
Investigators said the latest attack occurred around 9.15 pm. The 28-year-old woman and her 33-year-old boyfriend were walking along the jogging track when they were ambushed by the knife-wielding men. The couple were robbed of jewelry, cash and cellphones with an estimated value of $4,000.
The bandits then beat the boyfriend, forcing him to lie on the ground while one of them raped the woman in the bushes.
After the attack, a passerby contacted the emergency 999 hotline and WPC Sealy, PC Crawford and PC Mahabir of the San Fernando CID responded and took the couple for treatment.
Police said robberies were common at Palmiste Park a few years ago but with the arrests of a few men, such incidents had ceased. They are now warning residents to stay away from secluded areas at the park, especially at late hours.
They also advised that people should go to the park in groups.
No lovers lane
In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Halls, the local government representative for the area, said he was not aware of the incident but was concerned.He also said he was not aware of similar attacks in the past.
"People have to take it upon themselves to be responsible. First to begin with, they have no right to be walking there at that hours, they know what is happening in this country," he said.
Everyone using the park has tobe more carfeul, given the country's high crime rate, he added.
"Young people and some of the elder people want to go and make it a lovers lane. Don't go there after hours."
Halls, however, said the police regularly patrol the area and even speak to people about being out at late hours.
"Young people, young lovers, what they doing out there at that hour? There is no protection. The police are patrolling but they cannot be there all the time."
He said they have resorted to closing the gates to prevent people from parking inside the park at late hours, but that does not deter them.
"Sometimes they move the concrete slabs we have on the Bennet Road side and drive into the greens."
During the tenure of the previous park committee chairman Lincoln Ragbirsingh, there were plans to install surveillance cameras and hire security at the park. But Halls said the committee is strapped for funds and has no intentions of rolling out those plans.
Anyone with information on the crime can call the San Fernando CID office at 652-2564.
