Latest update January 18th, 2025 7:00 AM
Torched by bandits in 2018…Refurbished Wismar Post Office reopens today
Pensioners and other residents of Linden will today breathe sighs of relief, as the refurbished Wismar Post Office (WPO) is scheduled to be reopened.
The spruced up facility now has a brand new gate and is securely fenced.
Its reopening will facilitate the payment of old age pensions on the Wismar shore, for the first time in months.
“I’m so happy that finally after months of waiting, we can now collect our pensions at Wismar, because crossing over to Mackenzie was stress…Sometimes, we didn’t even have the boat fare and had to credit,” one pensioner said in relief.
The rehabilitated Wismar Post Office
Those sentiments are being echoed by many others.
The WPO had been closed since August last year, after bandits set it on fire during a foiled robbery.
The incident saw Chairman of Region Ten Rennis Morian calling for security to be beefed up at the facility.
“We need more security…one guard is inadequate, “Morian said.
He had also cited the need for a proper fence and gate.
Pensioners had also voiced concerns about inadequate security.
“We need a police presence at this post office, it always getting rob…This is not the first time…but is the first time the bandits didn’t get through, and they tried to burn it down! That security issue is a serious one”, a pensioner
said after the incident.
The closure of the WPO had forced pensioners on the Wismar shore to cross over to Mackenzie to receive their old age pensions.
Many had expressed disillusionment with this state of affairs, citing the economic hardships they endured, to find taxi and boat fares.
The lines at the Mackenzie Post Office also became longer, as staff there battled to serve residents from both banks when pensions were paid.
TARGETED BY BANDITS
The WPO had over the years become a target of criminals, who carted of millions of dollars in old age pension in several robberies.
Most of the robberies were committed at nights.
However, the most brazen one occurred on June 3, 2013, when bandits stormed the facility and made off with millions, even as pensioners, who were waiting to receive their monies, watched helplessly.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
The brazen bandits had barged into the facility, which had shortly before opened for business. They then proceeded to rob the then Post Mistress Ramona Singh of $3.8M.
They also relieved the lone police rank of his firearm, which was later recovered. Two suspects were later charged.
In light of these and other occurrences, Chairman Morian has once more reiterated the call, for beefed up security at the facility.
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