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24.2 C
City of Banjul
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
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Armed robberies

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For the past few months, there has been a hike in the spate of armed robberies in The Gambia. This is becoming worrisome and many people no longer have the confidence that they can go on living their lives without fear of being attacked at any time.

They latest attack; the most brazen so far, was when armed robbers attacked Access Bank in the middle of the day last week. The security threat in the country has never reached a stage where at an attack like that could occur during the course of the day.

With the number of police officers who are often seen in those areas, one would have thought that no criminal would have the courage to launch an operation like that no matter the time of day. But, in spite of that, these men, armed to the teeth, had the temerity to launch the attack.

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The only silver lining in that case was the fact that no one ended up dead as this could have resulted in the loss of many lives. Had the law enforcement officers opened fire and the criminals returned fire, many bystanders could have – would have – been caught up in the crossfire.

The most worrying thing is that these criminals are so brash that they now attack even places where they know that police would be present. Sometimes, it is the police themselves who are attacked. What that means is that these people have no compunction in killing law enforcement officers or even innocent people.  

It is true that times are hard and the economic conditions are biting but that is no excuse to pick up a gun and start attacking random people who haven’t done anything just to take their money and get away. There are things that people can do to earn some money even if it be small.

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It is high time that the government mapped out ways to solve the security problem in the country. Without security, no form of development can take place whatsoever. The solution to this threat should be holistic and not only increasing the presence of police officers or soldiers like some people are suggesting.

The solution must include looking at ways to improve the lot of the ordinary people. Create jobs for the young and make sure that the cost of living goes down. Then, ramp up security in vulnerable areas to make sure that criminals do not disrupt the economic activities of the citizens.

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