BLANCHISSEUSE, a tiny fishing village off the north coast, has been a getaway for many people on weekends who have built vacation homes on the cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea, but like so many communities across the country crime is threatening to upend the serenity, according to villagers.
Some residents who spoke to Sunday Newsday during a visit on April 29 said while the frequency of murders might be alarming to visitors, they have become desensitised to such incidents.
Most residents said they keep their heads down and focus on their daily lives.
It is how they make sure they are not the next victim.
But they all agreed the police must develop a comprehensive approach soon to tackling crime in the community before it gets worse.
On April 21, villager Carver Evangelist, 50, of O’Connor Street, was shot dead near his home.
Evangelist’ eldest son, Sherwin Maharaj, 31, was murdered on February 17, 2021, while taking soft drinks to a relative on O'Connor Street.
His younger brother Michael Evangelist, 31, and Nigel Dedier, 51, were killed at a construction site in Blanchisseuse on January 27.
When Sunday Newsday visited the area most residents said despite the recent rash of murders, they feel safe.
“Nobody interferes with you unless you interfere with them first,” said the owner of a small roadside parlour.
Though crime has not affected his businesses he believes if police don't intervene it would affect businesses in the area.
“I’m not satisfied with the work the police up here have been doing. They know certain things and they have been hiding it under the carpet. They know the people involved in the crime and they not doing anything about it. They should get rid of all the officers in that station and replace them with people who want to work,” he said.
Another villager said he hasn’t lost a night’s rest over the recent murders.
“Once they ain't come around me, I good. They could kill out each other up O'Connor Street. This little village we live in eh. If it’s not crime, it's thieving.”
[caption id="attachment_1013576" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A police patrol returns to the Blanchisseuse Police Station on April 29. - ANGELO MARCELLE[/caption]
As Sunday Newsday approached a group of men who were at gathered at the side of the road, many of them began to walk in the opposite direction.
Steven Castillo, who was among them, said, “The only problem I have is people coming on my land and stealing my crops. It makes no sense reporting it to the police. What will they do? What have they been doing is a better question.”
The man said he feels safe living in the area. He said family-related or drug-related disputes are the main factors behind recent murders and other serious violence.
At O’Connor Street, there are a few abandoned dilapidated houses. And further into the street, before a steep incline, the Blanchisseuse Pentecostal Church is metres away from where Evangelist and his sons were murdered. A house where Evangelist's sister lived was burnt and shot at, a few da
