Brava: Residents of the parish of Nossa Senhora do Monte say they experience “dark” nights due to the wave of robberies

Residents of various locations in the parish of Nossa Senhora do Monte say they are experiencing “dark and gloomy” nights with an increase in cases of robberies and vandalism, involving teenagers and young people.

Nossa Senhora do Monte is a parish on the island of Brava, located five kilometers from the city of Nova Sintra, on which it is practically dependent, since there are almost no decentralized services in this parish, except for schools, kindergartens, health post, a police station, but that doesn't work daily, and all other matters have to be resolved in Nova Sintra.

In a round made by Inforpress, right at the entrance of the parish, we find Ana Miranda, who lives in Cantinho, an area before reaching the center of the parish.

Speaking to Inforpress, he said that lately the area has been turbulent, residents are afraid to go out and even indoors, no one feels safe.

He stated that vandalism is a phenomenon that is overcoming the “peacefulness” that once existed in these communities, reinforcing that the saddest thing is that those who are committing these acts are mostly teenagers aged 14 to 16 years old.

And apart from this layer, as he said, there are young people who go to bars, consume alcoholic beverages, then take to the streets breaking bottles, kicking containers, fighting left and right, thus lamenting the lack of presence of police officers. Nacional in the areas of this parish.

In addition to the wave of violence and robberies, he underlined that public lighting leaves much to be desired, as most lighting posts have not been working, which makes the work of criminals even easier.

Along the same lines, Aida da Lomba, from Tomé Barras, was concerned about this situation, as, according to this resident, there is a certain “lack of attention”, mainly on the part of the police on the island, highlighting that an effective presence is needed of the police, suggesting in this case that instead of a police station that does not work every day, that a police station should be opened, because then the behavior of young people would be different.

Cláudia Andrade, owner of an establishment in the locality, claims to be the victim of frequent robberies, but even with complaints made in the PN, she has still not been able to recover anything that was stolen and any information on the possible perpetrators of the crime.

A situation that is worrying this owner who warns mothers, fathers and guardians to take more measures with their children, because otherwise this situation will not have a “pleasant” outcome.

Right next door, in the Confiança minimarket, we find Silvânia Gamboa who said that she has also suffered several robberies in this establishment and that is why she asks for more presence of the authorities in the area, because in addition to the police station of the island being 5 km from the parish, not even The police always respond quickly to the population's requests for help.

Residents understand that if there were frequent presence of police authorities in the parish, especially at night, the behavior of young people would be different.

In Lomba Tantum, a community belonging to the parish, but which is further away from the centre, the situation is no different. There, despite the fact that the residents are aware that the situation is complicated, not everyone has the courage to talk about the events, as there is a fear of suffering reprisals from other residents and groups that are normally involved in fights or acts of vandalism.

Jaqueline Barros is a resident of this area, who calls for reinforcement by the PN in order to monitor it, because, as she explained, young people do not want to comply with the law and the lack of presence of the PN has increased acts of delinquency.

In this community, it was evident that in relation to robberies and thefts, there have been no problems, but fights are frequent and it doesn't matter in front of whom, whether children or adults.

The fights always involve a bladed weapon, a stone or a bottle, something that this resident considers to be tarnishing the image of the area, day after day, and if the right measures are not taken, the situation could get complicated.

João Furtado, who recently lost his son in a fight, regrets the situation in the area, recalling that in the past the area was quiet, where people could even sleep on the street, but not anymore, because in addition to the fights, there are also the burglaries in houses and even the “caçubody”, something that before they didn't even know what it was and today this reality they are living seems like a dream.

Highlighting the young age of the young people involved in the skirmishes, this resident also accuses the police authorities of never arriving in time to resolve the conflicts.

He asks parents to be more firm in educating their children and taking measures, but also asks for police reinforcement and, if there are no conditions to create a police station in the parish, at least that there be more police permanence in the existing post there, both day and night, in order to maintain order.