GREAT BAY,– St. Maarten's Local Chief of Police, Governor Franklyn Richards, in response to recent crime incidents on St. Maarten, is once more sounding the alarm and wants the Central Government to take note of the situation.The Local Chief of Police is of the opinion that while commitments have been made for a structural approach to addressing law and order on our island, police re-enforcements are needed right now.
The Local Chief of Police is extremely worried about the recent spate of robberies and two incidents resulting in loss of life last week, in St. Maarten.
"These senseless killings deserve our collective condemnation and cannot be allowed to continue without an appropriate response by authorities. Any and all lives taken should be condemned and so should be all acts of violence in our community", notes Richards.
As such, the Minister of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles has been briefed on the situation and a formal request is underway asking that police re-enforcements be made available to St. Maarten as soon as possible.
The recent killings and the repeated reports of home invasions, armed robberies and other violent incidents, is indicative that the criminal element continues operating with disdain for life and our safety, says Richards.
He noted that the present situation is truly alarming and is one requiring the immediate response of the responsible authorities, charged with guaranteeing safety and security for the people of St. Maarten.
Local Chief of Police, Governor Franklyn Richards says that the public and operators of businesses have no other choice but to stay alert, at all times, in an effort to aid authorities in their ongoing efforts to apprehend suspects still at large.
"All of us need to stay alert and recognize that we need to do more, in order to safeguard against the innocent loss of life", notes the Local Chief of Police.
With the Christmas holiday season approaching, St. Maarten can expect additional visitors on our shores. This creates an additional challenge to law enforcement agencies already trying to cope with insufficient personnel charged with maintaining law and order.
Residents and business establishments will do well to remind themselves, employees and security staff in what to do and what not to do before, during and after coming face to face with, for example, armed criminals, especially during this holiday season.
Whereas St. Maarten is still a relatively safe place to live, this is not to say that there is no need to address the expressions of fear, which are once more being voiced.
The appropriate role of particularly the central and kingdom governments should be to provide support and technical assistance. Governor Richards says that he remains in favor of greater police visibility with the presence of more police officers on the streets, intensified controls, and increased cooperation with the Marechaussees and RST team as well as temporary police re-enforcements from Curacao.
The Local Chief of Police meanwhile reminds victims of crime and persons witnessing or suspecting crimes to report these to police authorities immediately.
