Thieves target CMU students - Life hellish particularly for new entrants

Thieves are targeting students of the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) using guns, knives, and intimidation to force them into submission in Harbour View and at bus parks in downtown Kingston.

At least four students have reportedly been robbed in the last month, while others relayed heart-pounding escapes from bandits who prowl sections of Harbour View, St Andrew, oftentimes on motorcycles or in the ubiquitous and infamous white Toyota Axio motor car.

In downtown, the first-year and second-year students claim that they are particularly vulnerable at the bus bays around St William Grant Park – which itself is feared as a haven for robbers looking easy booty.

None of the incidents were reported to the police, however. The students agreed that they think doing so would be a waste of time. Others feared that reporting the thefts may anger the robbers who promised vengeance.

“I am doing industrial engineering, so sometimes class dismisses late at nights. One night, I was going home and I saw two guys on a bike ride up. One was holding a gun and one was holding a knife,” said a 19-year-old first-year male student, who rented a home on Harbour Drive last September.

“They said, ‘Yow, youth, come here.’ They draped me up, searched my bag, took away my iPhone 6, and they took away my laptop charger. They told me, ‘Don’t make any noise or tell anybody,’ because they are going to come back for me,” said the student, who is from a rural parish.

“It is like they know who does not come from Harbour View. They know who is a first-year student and who is a second-year student, and who is new in the area. A lot of students from all over rent house in Harbour View to come to school and they know who to target,” he said.

A female student of customs processing, who is also in her second year, is contemplating whether to remain living on Dolphin Square in Harbour View, after she and friends darted into her home after being trailed by men travelling in a Toyota Axio motor car last weekend.

According to one of the girl’s friends, also a customs processing student, they were walking to the house when they noticed a Toyota Axio pull up alongside them. The occupants hesitated to leave the vehicle and drove away, presumably because witnesses were nearby.

Soon after turning on to Dolphin Square, however, the group saw the car reappear and again started creeping up behind them.

“When we reach near the house, we just blazed go inside. Because, since lately, we have been hearing about a white Axio that has been doing the robbery. We didn’t look to see what was happening, and based on how they were driving, it was clear they were up to no good,” he said.

“I live in Harbour View, and since then, I have to put an extra lock on the grille. Normally I would have just put the lock over it and leave it,” he continued, adding that his female friend was so fearful, she opted to spend the night with friends rather than stay in Harbour View.

The incident was on the heels of an attempted robbery in October that resulted in the disarming of an illegal firearm by a would-be victim. The robbers escaped but the weapon was later turned over to the cops. It also followed the bolstering of security by shop owners at the Harbour View Plaza, where thieves reportedly strike in broad daylight.

Last weekend, eight persons were shot at a late-night party. Two persons succumbed to their injuries.

Superintendent Victor Hamilton, head of the Kingston East Police Division, told The Gleaner last Thursday law enforcers were aware of the students’ lament but were challenged by the scale and topography of Harbour View.

“We get the complaints, and I do believe that some of them are authentic, but Harbour View is so big. So many students live there. We are very concerned, but there are so many things happening in this division,” said Hamilton, noting that robbers are being aided by residents of some areas.

“Harbour View is ringed by communities such as Melbroke Heights, and once you are there, you can basically see every single person coming into Harbour View. We have patrols, but we are up against people who are feeding the criminals with information on the ground,” said Hamilton.

In the meantime, one first-year logistics student theorised that students may be victims of a stigma attached to the quasi-military uniforms they wear. “They (thieves) have it to say that we are rich when we go to CMU. I don’t know if it is because of the uniform,” the student said.

According to the student, she and her friend had the shock of their lives when two men, one armed with a gun and the other a knife, brandished the weapons outside St William Grant Park and demanded their valuables.

“My friend was deeply traumatised. She just stood there in shock not doing anything. At the same time, I had to give up my two Samsung phones in order to make sure that we are safe. Since that, I am very afraid of going downtown,” said the student, who commutes from Portmore in St Catherine to school daily.

Last week, officials at CMU told The Gleaner that the school was aware of some of the incidents.

“Since these issues have taken place off-campus, as you indicated, we imagine that some incidents may not have been reported to school authorities but to the police,” said Archibald Gordon, director of marketing and communications at CMU.

“Because [only] a few incidents have been reported to campus authorities and involve our students, we contacted the police divisional headquarters, which encompasses the Harbour View police. We had two recent town halls/general assemblies where representatives from the divisional headquarters ... were invited to address the students on how to protect themselves off-campus, and what to do in case they are approached,” he said, adding that the school has direct contact with the police.

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com