October 20, 2006

Tourist robbed in Victoria

Last week a young man daringly robbed a tourist in Market Streetin broad daylight.  The young man grabbed the tourist’s bag then ran towards the direction of Church Street where he was later arrested by the personnel of a private security firm. 

What was shocking about the incident was the fact that there was no policeman around even though the Central Police station was just a stone’s throw away.  As criminals are getting more and more daring and adventurous there have been vehement calls for the Commissioner of Police to introduce the old fashion methods of policing.  This involved a lot more foot patrol by policemen especially in town and in the community which will acte as a deterrent to potential criminals. 

Others have called for the Courts to act swiftly and quickly in these types of cases and the punishment ought to be severe to deter attacks on tourists.  Seychelles has the enviable reputation of being an almost crime free country and tourists visiting our shores feel relatively safe.  However, this clean reputation risks being damaged by culprits who specifically target tourists to make a quick buck since the Seychelles economy depends extensively on our tourism industry.  Their safety and security, whilst in our Country, should remain primordial.  A police presence around the streets of Victoria is therefore necessary and would go a long way towards achieving this goal.

Research has shown that foot patrols by uniformed policemen are effective as a deterrent to criminals. The level and frequency of criminal acts diminish drastically where there are policemen in a specific area.  The Commissioner of police should therefore seriously consider foot patrols as a means of reducing and eventually curtailing crimes around the country; more specifically in our small capital where there is normally a large concentration of people.  This type of policing was common in the 1960’s and 1970’s here and was very successful. It was not uncommon then to see policemen riding their bicycles around the country keeping an eye on potential crime hotspots.

Copyright 2006: Seychelles Weekly, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles