kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
Businessman Terrence Rampersad says organised crime is hampering business in the Chase Village, Chaguanas and Freeport communities.
This after he became a victim when thieves carted off 50 Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanks from his business on Sunday.
CCTV footage showed two men wearing hoodies climbing over the wall to Rampersad’s Daily Essentials Pharmacy and Supermarket along Southern Main Road, Chase Village, around 2.20 am. The bandits cut the lock to the LPG cage at the front of the store. They threw the tanks over the wall. They also tried to prise the door to the Lottery Centre, but without success.
Rampersad believes there is a gang of thieves targeting businesses in the area. He said it is expensive to replace 35 full and 15 empty tanks and he will have to fork out $12,500 to repay Ramco Industries Ltd for the items. He recalled bandits in police uniforms robbing businessman Rajendra Maye and his family at their Chase Village home last month. With many other robberies in the area, Rampersad said it coincides with the emergence of crime hotspots in the communities.
“This is clearly organised crime because the manpower to steal 50 tanks is actually a lot of men involved. From the cameras and maybe our investigations and from liaising with the Freeport police, obviously, there were more. I am sure it is a group of men in here. We also spoke to Mr Alexander. He is following up on the situation.”
As a resident of the area since birth, Rampersad said crime is getting worse. While Rampersad does not blame the Government for it all, he said one of its roles is to provide a safe environment conducive to business.
“The environment in the Freeport area is not conducive for business. They ask young people to become entrepreneurs, but they are not creating the environment. As a result, many young people are deterred from doing it.”
Rampersad is concerned about business continuity, as he said constant robberies increase liability for insurance companies. It will also increase security costs, especially since he had to make enhancements after the last robbery.
He said the Freeport and Chase Village communities are not the best place to set up new businesses now, as about five or six stores along the Southern Main Road closed following robberies in the past year.
Store manager Harrichand Maraj believes there were more than two men involved in the crime, as they were throwing the tanks over the wall onto an empty property. He said they also required a truck to move 50 tanks. They reported the robbery to Freeport police but investigators were yet to arrest anyone yesterday.
Last April, bandits broke the glass and cut locks to enter the store, stealing items estimated at $40,000.
Councillor Vishan Mohammed said it was one of the few robberies in the last couple of months. Mohammed said just like scrap iron dealers who lost their means of living when the Government banned the export of used metal, some people are getting desperate.
He said it was a concern that LPG tanks were now on bandits’ radars. He urged the population to look out for suspicious people trying to sell LPG tanks and report them to the police. He said people must look out for each other and the business community, adding he hopes the rise in crime does not deter businesses from considering Chase Village for their location.
“We are definitely seeing an increase in criminal activity, especially along the Chase Village main road. Yes, it is unusual for people to come and take gas tanks. At this establishment, it is unusual, and I think it leads to some sort of desperation in people now,” Mohammed said.
