The community was shocked on Tuesday evening by images of the brutal robbery that took place at Murphy's Irish Pub located in Suriname's International Mall. The thieves got out of the truck and went straight to the restaurant where food was being prepared while the restaurant was usually open to the public.
The men, heavily armed and masked, entered the kitchen and threatened the employees. “So I don’t actually have any words to describe it,” Gretel Wolfram, president of the Shopkeepers and Entrepreneurs Association of Suriname (WOVS), tells the Suriname Herald, who is astonished that businesses, in this case a café, are now up and running during the period. Working hours being robbed naked.
The men stopped on the side of the mall. At least seven thieves were in the truck. Some went to the café and others stood guard outside the truck. Bystanders standing outside were summoned with firearms to enter. They obediently obeyed the thieves' summons. The thieves who entered the kitchen violently pushed one of the employees to the floor. At some point, out of fear, she quietly took cover in a corner until the robbers left the building. Other employees were also treated and pushed harshly.
The men stole a sum of money and fled towards Mundar. Police units quickly arrived at the mall.
Wolfram recalled previously saying that the crime was getting worse and the crime itself was getting worse.
“It is also our right as citizens to feel safe in our country and it is the duty of the government, especially the Ministry of Justice and the police, to ensure safety. “Unfortunately, we notice that the safety of citizens is not guaranteed,” she says. But all this is not only because of Yuspol itself, but because of bad politics in general. She explains this by pointing out that by bad policy she means a bad economic situation.
Not only does Wolfram regret the robbery, but many people wonder how safe they are if they want to go out or relax for the evening. If thieves are no longer afraid to commit theft in public, then the average citizen is no longer safe, and this is now the focus of discussion on social media. Many ask: “How safe are we in the country?” Many also call it a “wake up” call because crime is taking worse forms and so extra measures have to be taken because it seems as if the police are no match for the thieves.
