How to save the lives of fishermen and taxi-drivers

Aug 27, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
Recently while traveling from Berbice, I had a conversation with a fisherman who captains a small vessel in the Northwest area and was struck by how vulnerable these men are in plying their trade. This particular individual and his crew were robbed by pirates a few years ago. They were stripped of their fish, food supplies and engines.
Only after much pleading and the mercy of the pirates did they avoid being tied up and thrown overboard. What can be done to protect these men who are already risking their lives to be out there one hundred miles from shore just to earn a daily bread for their families?
Providing patrols to cover such a vast area is not practical. I’m suggesting a system be put in place for fishermen to be armed.
Putting myself in the shoes of the bandits, I would be less inclined to attack a boat if I knew each fisherman was armed with a gun. I’m suggesting that when each boat is leaving on a fishing trip each fisherman is allowed to check out a firearm from a police depot along with the number of rounds.
A record is made of the names of each fisherman and the serial number of the gun and number of rounds given to each person. When they return they are required to immediately check in their weapons. This is to avoid a fisherman taking the weapon home where he may be tempted to use it against an errant wife or miserable in-law. This is one small way of providing a way for fishermen to protect themselves while working.
For taxi drivers who are in constant danger of being carjacked here is another simple suggestion that may deter bandits.
With everyone seeming to be in possession of a cell phone (I’ve seen weeders and cane cutters with cell phones while on the job) a taxi driver can take a picture (let passengers know it is standard procedure) of each passenger he/she picks up and send the picture to another phone. The person and time of pick up is noted. If anything happens to the driver the last person and time is recorded. Passengers are made aware of this. This is a small way of discouraging a bandit from carjacking one’s taxi by pretending to be a passenger. These are just small suggestions that may be practical in avoiding further loss of lives via these routes.
M. Alves

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How to save the lives of fishermen and taxi-drivers

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