BOBIE-LEE DIXON
(bobie-lee.dixon@guardian.co.tt)
A shopper on Charlotte Street yesterday lay for 20 minutes on the sidewalk in shock and seemingly injured before police could arrive to take her to the hospital, while her attacker walked away calm and cool with her jewelry swinging from his hand.
In brazen daylight at about 1 pm, she was robbed of her gold chain along with another woman who was robbed by the same person just minutes before. When the Sunday Guardian visited the scene at the corner of Charlotte Street and Independence Square, vendors expressed their anger and frustration with the number of robberies they claim happened daily on the popular bargain strip.
They blamed the city police attached to the Central Business District Revitalisation Programme, formerly the Charlotte Street Market Project, saying they were supposed to be patrolling the vending hub between the hours of 6 am to 8 pm, Thursdays to Saturdays, to ensure the safety of vendors and shoppers, but are hardly ever visible and when they are, they spend a maximum of ten minutes doing a so-called patrol.
“Ma'am, this is a programme here. This police are getting paid to do this. Look this thing happen here today. You seeing a police in sight?” asked an elderly male vendor.
“When things happen, they quick to blame the vendors and say is the vending causing the robberies in the city, and even accuse us at times of knowing the criminals, which is not true. We don't even know them. All we know is that they running these streets up and down thieving from people and they getting away because the police not here,” he said.
Another vendor chimed in, “That fella 'doh' have a mother, the way he push that woman down on the ground and fight her for that chain.”
She said she had witnessed and even prevented many robberies from happening, but is often warned to keep out as her life could be threatened.
“I does see all them robbers. Everybody know who that boy is who thief that woman chain just now, but nobody 'eh' go say nothing.”
She too expressed the need for more visibility of city police on Charlotte Street and throughout Port-of-Spain.
Deputy Mayor shocked
When contacted on the claims made by vendors on city police, Deputy Mayor Hillan Morean said he was confused.
“I am actually shocked to hear that they are having problems with the visibility of the police because we hire police on an extra-duty basis and they are out there daily…so I am actually shocked to hear the vendors say that,” he reiterated.
He said the Central Police Station in conjunction with city police supervises the Charlotte Street area.
According to Morean, city police assigned to the vending operation are used in the revitalisation programme, to which Charlotte Street is a part.
The officers have a specific role and function which is to provide law and order in general, but also to maintain order with the vending programme, ensuring only registered licenced vendors are vending.
“The programme that we currently have at Charlotte Street is, therefore, using police officers on an extra-duty basis that are paid for by the programme,” Morean revealed.
He said there were some challenges with getting vendors to pay on time, but this has improved a bit with the assistance of programme manager, retired ASP Kester Billy.
Asked how many officers were assigned to Charlotte Street on these designated vending days, Morean could not quote an exact figure but said he believed it to be two or three city police and approximately five officers operating on an extra-duty basis.
He said the safety of all the citizens who utilised the city is of paramount importance to the Corporation, so the matter will be investigated.
Morean also said that as part of the revitalisation programme, they hoped to partner with the business community on the installation of new technology throughout the city, which would be tied to one command centre. This, he said, would aid in better treating with such incidents like what occurred yesterday and would also serve as a deterrent in the area of crime. He said the mayor's office was working on a proposal that will be presented to the business community soon.