People described the first ten days following the announcement of the extinction of Turma do Apito, in the urban district of Sambizanga, by the National Police of Angola (PNA), last Monday, December 4th. The episodes involve robberies of people on public roads, canteens and homes.
There was only crying among the residents of that district. Dejected and sad, the faces of the witnesses of the security achieved with the existence of the now extinct Turma do Apito, in that part of the municipality of Luanda, reflect some nostalgia.
The feeling is more expressed when we hear outbursts from new victims of criminals. Reading the facial expression is not wrong, as the interviewees themselves reveal the feeling they carry inside: “we are sad and we miss the work of Turma do Apito”, they said, justifying it with the resurgence of stories of robberies and fights between gangs, in the neighborhood.
Residents believe that the feats of blowing the whistle were true miraculous acts. To the sound of the wind instrument, criminals were captured, goods were recovered and those involved were held accountable.
Crime reduced considerably in Sambizanga, a fact they considered a miracle.
However, the best days in terms of security in that district begin to appear there.
The cause is the extinction of Turma do Apito, according to resident José Rodrigues, resident for 19 years, who says he is a witness to new robberies in the well-known Mulembeira area.
The crimes controlled by the whistleblowers are resurfacing without, however, the Police showing themselves capable of responding, since, he added, this guarantees security until close to 9 pm, leaving the population vulnerable to the criminals who started it. to their criminal practices.
“We are concerned. We don’t know what will happen to our neighborhood from now on.
Since the extinction of Turma do Apito, we are already hearing regarding robberies and fights between young people in the neighborhood.
Turma do Apito can no longer resolve the issue, because they are away”, he said. She left the house in the early hours of the day to exercise.
But, halfway through his journey, he came across images that were already dim in his memory: “I found a broken-in canteen at 5 o’clock, back there, in Pereira”, he began to describe the difficult contours of the end of Turma do Apito. His name is Roque Alberto.
The citizen who has lived in Sambizanga for 47 years said that the commercial establishment was robbed.
They took liters of cooking oil and other goods that filled the shelves from the space. “They robbed in normal conditions.
The cantina stayed for a long time and was never robbed”, lamented the resident, noting that there are new cases of robberies and thefts in Mercado da Pombinha.
Women fear new cases of domestic violence
The creation of Turma do Apito had implications for the significant reduction in cases of domestic violence.
This was due to the organization’s intervention in situations in which women were beaten by their husbands, applying certain punishments that did not allow citizens to become repeat offenders.
“When a man beats his wife and she complains, they tend to beat the man. That’s right, because in Sambizanga there are men who violently beat their women. Turma do Apito greatly reduced domestic violence.
Now, if Turma do Apito ends, the men will take revenge on us”, said Antonica Fernando Eugénia Miguel has lived in Sambizanga for 46 years.
She is one of the many women who do not accept the end of Turma do Apito, as she considers the activity it carried out to be important in guaranteeing the safety of the population.
For the resident, the extinction of the group is causing the appearance of criminals and theft of clothes, including on the clothesline.
“They are stealing the bathtubs to weigh them, dishes from the backyard. Even the clothes that are on the line, even if they are not dry, are being taken away.