“The police need to do their jobs,” says St Augustine MP Khadijah Ameen. Ameen was commenting on the shooting death of an intruder yesterday morning in her constituency. She went on to say that the resident was forced to defend himself and his family from intruders with his licensed firearm. The 63-year-old FUL holder defended himself when the deceased and two others entered his home.
The police reported that around 2.25 a.m. the deceased, who is yet to be identified, and two others entered the man’s Freeman Road, St Augustine home. One of the men was armed with a gun. The pensioner fired seven times at the men, who all ran off. The deceased bandit was later found in a drain. The deceased was described as in his early 20s, of African descent, with a cornrow hairstyle, and was wearing a blue and white jersey, green sweater, three-quarter pants, and Nike slippers.
Ameen said :” Residents of Spring Village, Freeman Road, and other areas have been under attack by bandits for some time and yesterday’s shooting death was because of increasing frustration. She added: “The people of St Augustine South have been sitting ducks and we have been calling on the Government to take action to reduce the crime. Because the Government has failed at that, the residents have been taking action into their own hands and this is a case where the residents are now standing their ground.”
Ameen also said that the people of St Augustine and Spring Village have been standing their ground by becoming more organized and forming neighborhood watch groups, using technology such as WhatsApp to communicate better with their neighbors, and installing their own security systems.
The St Augustine MP said the shooting death of the intruder yesterday morning in her constituency is a result of inaction by the police to address increasing crime in the St Augustine area.