Police alert for pickpockets in major markets

Municipal police have been dispatched to various markets to buttress the force.

It is no news that insecurity has intensified in most markets in the port city due to the rush hour that comes with the festive period. 30 minutes hardly elapse without a distress cry from victims of pickpocket in famous markets like Marché Centrale, Nkolouloun and the Ndokoti Markets.


At first, the men of the underworld used new blades to operate the bottom of women’s handbag in order to pick up their wallets when the content drops.


Since most women became conscious of the strategy, they resorted in holding their money in hand which then provoked the “needle effect.” The “needle effect” is the act of piercing victim’s hands suspected to hold money for them to let go the content of their hands. A story is told of a woman whose hand was amputated because she resisted heeding to a burglar’s order.


For fear of losing huge sums to thieves, some persons especially women put on a short pair of trousers before putting on their gowns while others simply hang their handbags on the neck.


With the prevailing insecurity in main markets, the state, City council and Municipal Councils have taken the engagement to watch over city dwellers by creating new police posts and dispatching Municipal Police to reinforce the forces of Law and Order in some markets. In the Ndokoti market for example, additional police posts have been created to fight insecurity and urban disorder.

Some “hawkers” hide behind activities like the sale of disposable napkin to monitor the movement of potential victims and eventually rob them. Others stand in front of shops and play the role of “shop attendant” without shop owner’s knowledge.


The phenomenon is noticeable in the shoe section in Marché Centrale where customers pay for the shoe outside and move into the shop to collect the other side of the shoe just to discover the so called shop attendant was an imposter.


In other public places like the Periodic Christmas Market in Bepanda, the presence of the forces of Law and Order has reduced insecurity in the area.


The rate of insecurity will be curbed in public places if monitoring devices like cameras are installed.