RESIDENTS in sections of the peaceful farming belt bordering South Manchester and St Elizabeth say they are at their wits’ end.

The residents claim they are under siege from an armed band of thugs who are wreaking havoc, plaguing the communities with a series of armed robberies which have driven fear into their hearts.

Police have confirmed that they have received reports that the robbers have been targeting business owners in recent weeks and have been responsible for a series of armed robberies in several districts in Southern Manchester and the neighbouring parish of St Elizabeth.

Reports are that the marauding gunmen have been robbing bars, shops and other businesses in the New Forest, Downs, Sea Air and Comma Pen areas on a regular basis for the last two months. The residents of these farming communities say they have never experienced this level of crime in their lives. Burglary and praedial larceny have been their main concerns, but in recent times gun violence has threatened to shatter their peaceful existence.

“Sometimes the thief would break in through the roof when we lock up and sometimes some man drive through and rob, but that never happen regular. Nowadays we have to lock up from early evening,” one bar owner told the Observer.

The residents are adamant that the gunmen have been imported into their communities by persons among them with evil intent.

“They must have been brought here by people who know the area and tell them how to operate. We believe they have cronies who are living among us but we have no concrete proof,” one resident said.

The last robbery took place last Sunday night in the New Forest district. Residents say two armed men barged into a bar and restaurant and held guns at patrons before making off with a measly $150 and a cellular phone.

One woman who was present at the time of robbery recounted her experience.

“Him come and push the gun inna mi neck and say ‘gimme the money’. Me tell him say only $100 mi have and him say gimme. Them put the gun pan another man and demand him money. Him did only have $50 and them take it same way. After that them take mi phone and leave,” the woman told the Observer.

About a week ago, a masked gunman pounced on a female bar owner in the district of Downs as she prepared to close business for the night. The intruder hit the woman over her head with his handgun after she hesitated to lie face down as he ordered.

The gunman delivered another blow to the terrified woman after she handed over her day’s sale to him.

According to the shell-shocked woman, her life has never been the same since her ordeal and she is considering seeking professional help.

“I have had very little sleep since the incident. It’s not about the money, but the fact that my life was in his hands. Every time I try to get some rest the image of this masked man with a gun just comes in my mind and a feel really afraid,” the woman said.

The night before that incident gunmen struck at a nearby bar and ordered about a dozen patrons to lie face down before cleaning out their pockets and taking the money in the bar’s till. They also made off with all cellular phones. Then two days later, gunmen robbed a woman and her daughter as they entertained patrons at a bar in the Sea Air district. Again the take was less than $5,000.

The recent string of robberies has caused business owners in that section of the island to draw down their shutters when darkness approaches which according to them, has begun to eat away at their profits.

“The people around here are hardworking and there is very little in the form of entertainment besides a bar. After a hard day’s work the people like to unwind with a few drinks and now because of these characters we have to be closing early because everyone is in fear,” one business owner told the Observer.

The recent spate of armed robberies has caused at least one business owner to draw down his shutters for good.

But police from Manchester and St Elizabeth say they have been patrolling the areas regularly and are urging residents to report any strange activity in their communities. The cops say they are hampered by a lack of vehicles at the Alligator Pond police station which has responsibility for most of the communities that are being targeted by gunmen.

“There is only one service vehicle at the Alligator Pond station and sometimes we don’t even have gas to keep the vehicle on the road,” an officer from the Manchester police division said.