Coomacka residents see police outpost as a boost to security

– giving voluntary labour to its construction next weekend

Coomacka residents are pleased with the pace at which work is moving on the construction of a police outpost, as there is a high rate of crime, and the nearest police station is 10 miles away.

The station is being erected by the Linden Station Management Committee (LSMC) with support from private sector entities Bosai and Omai which are the main contributors to the initiative. Bosai has donated a portable camp and is assisting with ground preparation while Omai and other corporate entities are to provide additional materials for the construction of two extension wings.

Some residents at the meeting with the LSMC

For many residents the police outpost is a dream come through. When the plans were revealed to the community most welcomed the move as they are plagued by a litany of problems including domestic abuse and reckless and underage driving. At a recent meeting, LSMC Chairman Lethem Wilson outlined the procedures for the construction.

Armed robbery

Several persons then spoke of painful criminal experiences from as far back as the 1980s. Relatives of the late Iona Wellington were particularly pleased that the LSMC was building an outpost.

They told the meeting that the 63-year-old woman was raped and murdered along one of the main carriageways in the community and the case remains unsolved. Wellington’s son, who resides overseas and is currently here on vacation, said, “My mother’s murder is still a mystery but the fact that after all those years a police outpost is finally going to be put here gives some sense of satisfaction.” The man said though his mother may never get justice, he was satisfied that a fulltime police presence in the community will spare others from suffering her fate.

A prominent businesswoman also recalled being the victim of an armed robbery at her home.

The woman said she and her daughter, who was 11 years old at the time, are still traumatised by the 2006 experience. The two of them were at home with her brother when eight armed men accosted them. The family lost millions of dollars in cash, jewellery and other personal household items.

“Thinking of that night still makes me shiver until this day,” she said, explaining that she believes that if she had not escaped she would have been killed. “I only had on my panty and bra and I barely climb through a back window and escaped,” she said.

The men had beaten her daughter in her head and had forced her to guide them to the cash and jewellery. The woman also recalled that none of her neighbours went to her rescue. “My neighbour had two guns and he said he only had one bullet so he didn’t do nothing,” she said. No one was arrested and the case remains unsolved.

Residents alluded to several other incidents of gunpoint robbery where they were injured. While robbery is said to be on the decline in Coomacka, it is challenged by a number of other problems such as the prevalence of the growing of marijuana, its sale and use especially among the youth.

‘My heart pains for
these young people’

“God knows how my heart pains for these young people is all night, some a dem all day too, smoking deh weed,” an elderly woman said. She opined that because of the limited job opportunities available, they are forced into illegal activities to earn a living. “This community produced a lot of good people. When I look at boys like Orlando Thom water does run from my eyes,” the woman said. Thom was once Guyana’s best swimming athlete. He hailed from Coomacka/Three Friends, Linden.

Breaches in the traffic rules are among the most critical problems in the community. Residents spoke at length about the number of young men driving recklessly while being unlicensed. “We saw with we own two eyes the police patrol went up here and stop that same lil boy (pointing to a speeding pick-up truck) and he had no licence and dey let he go without instituting any charges,” a resident said. Several persons also complained about large numbers of motorcycles being ridden without licence plates by underage teens.

Coomacka is located at one end of a network of four neighbouring communities; the others are Three Friends/Maria Elizabeth, Yariyabo and Old England and together they have a population of about 2,000. These communities were developed when bauxite mining was prevalent in those areas. Their access to communication is very limited. Once at Commacka one would have to be positioned at certain points to access mobile signal for either of the two cellular networks.

There are two GT&T telephone booths, but the phones seldom work.

Also, to access the nearest police station in Linden, residents would have to travel about 10 miles. Public transportation is limited and is not available after a certain time at night.

It costs $3,000 or more in some cases for a taxi. “So you see our situation and how this station being here would help,” a resident said, even as she appealed for improvements in the telephone networks in the community.

Domestic violence and abuse are also said to be widespread at Coomacka. Residents also voiced concern about the lack of potable water.

Work on the station will pick up pace next weekend when residents are expected to turn out their numbers to give voluntary labour. Another community meeting is set for Wednesday.