Bartica on high security alert.
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Sunday, 13 November 2011 22:52
Businesses in Bartica were Sunday night ordered to close early and residents of the gold mining township were told to stay indoors because of a likely bandit attack.
Several residents told Demerara Waves Online News ( www.demwaves.com ) that police patrols were seen through the streets of Bartica.
A well-placed source said the township was put on high alert after word spread that minibus without a number plate was spotted in the vicinity of Sherima Crossing.
When demwaves.com spoke with a businessman, he related that he was closing his bar and night club early because of word that unsavoury characters might be planning an attack.
Barticians have been jittery about the security situation ever since the massacre in February 2008 that left 12 persons dead. Back then, several guns were stolen from the Bartica Police Station and a private security firm that is associated with a gold mining company.
Police and central government have linked increased violent crimes in the ‘gold bush’ or ‘backdam’ to the high international price of gold that has been attracting even unsavoury characters in mining areas.
The security situation in Bartica has been made a political football in the run-up to the November 28 general and regional elections.
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Sunday, 13 November 2011 22:52
Businesses in Bartica were Sunday night ordered to close early and residents of the gold mining township were told to stay indoors because of a likely bandit attack.
Several residents told Demerara Waves Online News ( www.demwaves.com ) that police patrols were seen through the streets of Bartica.
A well-placed source said the township was put on high alert after word spread that minibus without a number plate was spotted in the vicinity of Sherima Crossing.
When demwaves.com spoke with a businessman, he related that he was closing his bar and night club early because of word that unsavoury characters might be planning an attack.
Barticians have been jittery about the security situation ever since the massacre in February 2008 that left 12 persons dead. Back then, several guns were stolen from the Bartica Police Station and a private security firm that is associated with a gold mining company.
Police and central government have linked increased violent crimes in the ‘gold bush’ or ‘backdam’ to the high international price of gold that has been attracting even unsavoury characters in mining areas.
The security situation in Bartica has been made a political football in the run-up to the November 28 general and regional elections.