With gun crimes rising…Sophia residents want cops to occupy community

Aug 18, 2014 News

Some Sophia residents who live in constant fear of violent criminals are appealing for round-the clock police patrols.
In recent weeks, armed criminals have stepped up their attacks on persons traversing the mainly impoverished community.
On Emancipation Day, Anderson Garnett, 30, was shot in the face while fighting with a gunman who had attacked him in ‘C’ Field, Sophia. At the time, Garnett was only in possession of a few dollars and a cell phone. Nevertheless, he was convinced that the bandit intended to kill him after taking the items.

Marvin Cumbermack: Shot dead for his motorcycle

Two Mondays ago, 29-year-old Guyana Water Inc. employee Marvin Cumbermack was riding through South Sophia, after dropping off a child, when a man on a bicycle shot him dead. The killer escaped on the slain man’s bicycle and is still to be caught.
Last month, 42-year-old Alim Mohamed, of Lot 521 ‘D’ Field, Sophia, was walking home when a man on a bicycle rode up, pointed a gun, and demanded his valuables.
When Mohamed refused, the robber shot him in the shoulder and took his cash and a cell phone.
Also last month, Terrence Phillips, a 24 year old ‘D’ Field Sophia resident, was shot twice to the abdomen by two men on bicycles who demanded that he hand over his money. And in January, Romario Weithers, 19, of ‘C’ Field, Sophia, was shot in the stomach by two robbers who attacked the teen and his friends.
“This place is getting scary,” said one B Field resident, who said she is always uneasy whenever she sees a stranger passing through her community. “Everybody is suspicious of everybody else. Why should we be living like this?”
The resident says that poverty and high employment is responsible for the spirally crime rate in Sophia. According to the resident, several residents who worked in a Government entity were recently laid off.
“Desperation causes a lot of things. We are dealing with people who would lash out and it would come back to (hurt) our community.”
She believes that most Sophia residents would welcome a police operation similar to the anti-crime operation in Albouystown.
In April, the Guyana Police Force yesterday afternoon launched its community based project called ‘Impact Albouystown. Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud (Ag) had told residents that emphasis will be placed on law enforcement and gun crimes. Persaud noted that his ranks will be increasing foot patrols as well as stop and search operations which are intended to keep the community clean of illegal guns and illicit drugs. He had also said that the police will focus on domestic violence and ‘youth gangs’ which have plagued the community.

Anderson Garnett: Shot in the face for a cell phone

He added that vocational skills training programmes ,targeting persons of all age groups, will be implemented and the recipients will be given opportunities to do ‘on job’ attachments.