Usually the Medina of Fez is a safe place to be, especially for tourists. Certainly by comparison with Western cities, crime is a very small problem. However, a spate of robberies over the last three weeks has led to calls for an increased awareness of personal safety in the Fez Medina and a stronger response from police.
In the past three weeks four foreigners have been robbed at knife point in and around the Medina. The most serious of these attacks took place on Tuesday, when a female ex-patriot was injured, when her arm was slashed by a knife during a robbery which took place at 8pm off the Tala'a Kbira. Her bag, containing money, credit cards and mobile phone was stolen.
One long term foreign resident says that in the past problems like this happened in the middle of the night, but it was disturbing that they were now occurring from the late afternoon.
Several members of the ex-patriot community expressed concern at the increase in crime rates in the normally safe Medina and called for people to make themselves less of a target by not carrying valuables. They emphasised that resisting someone holding a knife could lead to bodily harm. Women should be particularly careful if they are coming home late at night and ask someone to accompany them.
Local Moroccans have not been immune from attacks, either. The previous week in the late afternoon a carpenter was set upon by three youths, who threatened him with knives and beat him over the head. His bag containing a mobile phone, money and tools was stolen.
Hopefully the police will be quick to take action. It has been suggested that to minimise these sorts of crimes, more local district guardians are needed.
If you live in the Medina, get to know your neighbours and your local guardian. Your greatest protection is your community.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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