Angry vendors at the San Fernando Market are accusing officers of the San Fernando Municipal Police of encouraging illegal street vendors to occupy the pavement along Mucurapo Street.
But not that allegation was revealed to San Fernando mayor Kazim Hosein yesterday but the existence of a drug block near the market’s back entrance, which vendors fear will bring gun violence and robbery near them.
Several vendors left their stalls filled with produce and threatened to lock the gates of the market, saying the illegal vending had taken away their customers.
Jaikaran Mahabir said it was unfair that bona-fide vendors were spending $45 monthly for the small space they occupied while wholesalers were putting out produce on the floor of the pavement or in their vehicles on the roadside.
Rosetta Jack said the washrooms which were being built years ago remained unfinished and were in a deplorable condition.
She said when rain came the roof was like a strainer.
Mahabir said: “There are police officers who have their people selling outside on the streets and they say who can sell and who can’t sell.
She claimed there were some officers encouraging illegal vending.
“We have to pay $45 plus vat every month for one stall and nobody outside has to pay this and they are getting better accommodation than us.
“They are selling during market hours and they are affecting our sales. This also causes traffic jams outside there with two lanes of traffic because people are stopping right there and are making their market. Anything you can see inside the market, they sell it outside,” Mahabir also said.
He said when they complained to the market clerk, they were told to report it to the police.
When they reported it to the police, he said, they would be sent back to the market clerk.
He said the only time officers came to the market was at 8 am daily to assist the market clerk in collecting dues. He said the lone female security officer stationed at the market was powerless to stop anything.
It’s just allegations
Both Hosein and ASP Heather Remy-Brathwaite said claims against the municipal police were just allegations. Hosein said he did not want to “come down on the police concerning the allegations while Remy-Brathwaite also dismissed the allegations.
“As we said, those are allegations. We do not have the officers here at the moment but strategies will be put in place to address the vending situation.
“We have security officers on duty at the central market and we will have meetings and we will work on something to deal with that.
“We must remember that citizens also do have the option of calling the central police if the city police are not around,” Remy-Brathwaite said.
Hosein promised to have the toilets and roof repaired in three weeks time.
However, he was warned by vendors that if that time lapsed, they would lock the market gates and block the road in protest.