BOATMEN and residents Down D Islands are worried for their safety as 70-year-old boating and fishing standout Derek “Stones” Tardieu and his wife remain in the hands of kidnappers for a third day.

Some boatmen at Tardieu Marina in Chaguaramas told Newsday they felt unsafe even before Tardieu and his wife Clarabelle were kidnapped, while residents who live and have property on the islands expressed worry that the Tardieu kidnapping may be the start of an incursion of criminal elements in what is relatively regarded as a safe haven.

Newsday went to Tardieu Marine Ltd on December 9, where boatmen said they were worried that criminal elements may begin extorting businesses and boat owners.