Bandits distressing Cumana villagers

Thank you a million times over for the response and support from the police.

To the bandits who broke into the family home between 8-30 am and 1-28 pm, broad daylight, I want to say you really must be deseparate because what are you going to do with the Direct TV box receiver you stole?

The Direct TV box and card have been cancelled and you thieves have caused us extra stress because we have to pay $575 to Direct TV to get back this service.

You bandits stole my laptop that was given to me by a philanthropist because I am a community activist and I do a lot of voluntary work and used this laptop to type letters for Cumana Village Council etc.

You bandits forgot to check what condition my laptop was in because the CD/DVD driver was not in it plus you forgot to take the powerpack for the laptop. Also stolen was a digital camera with photographs of invaluable memories of a summer camp for children and their achievement day in an impoverished village in our region where a few of us volunteered to teach a handful of children in August some skills. I did a little workshop teaching them tie dye and batik, another volunteer taught the children wool craft etc, plus daily, another volunteer taught math and English to these children. These memories are irreplacable.

The jewelry the bandits stole would have been sold for next to nothing but bandits would not appreciate that the jewelry was given to a wife, stepdaughter and husband as gifts to one another for birthdays and Christmas, plus some of the jewelry were family heirlooms. You bandits obviously know nothing about love and caring for anyone other than yourselves because you would not know that when you stole a case of Smalta, it was part of our family donation to Cumana Village Council Senior Citizen Dinner held annually.

Techincally the bandits stole not just from a household but from a community.

Sometime on November 28 or 29 bandits climbed into Cumana Community Centre and stole 144 baby pampers and this was the last item that has been stolen because there have been several thefts from Cumana Community Centre. To protect the items needed to host a luncheon for 60 senior citizens and guests on December 6, two female members, for three nights, from Cumana Community Council, left the comfort of their home to sleep in the Community Centre to be in-house security. Trinidad and Tobago take note about the dedication these women have for their community.

In Cumana, for several years bandits have been breaking into people’s homes and beachhouses.

Some residents have had their homes broken into more than once and the majority of the break-ins are not being reported to the police. Furthermore, no matter what steps are being taken to secure a home the bandits are watching every move the residents make plus the village resident bandits are now bringing in outsiders to assist them.

Do our village bandits know the full character of “outside” bandits? Will these “outside” bandits resort to armed hold-ups and since they do not know who is who will these bandits harm your own family?

Ann McCarthy

Cumana, Toco