Over the year's stacks of reports with the most recent one, the "St. Maarten Safety Plan," of 2007 has been compiled about fighting crime. Various stakeholders contributed to the compilation of this plan.
As community organizations ponder on what to do, developments within the region reveal the severity of the situation as well as new trends and developments. The Caribbean and Latin America have been described by the World Bank and United Nations as the most violent region in the world.
Experts say that Caribbean-wide surge in violent crime in 2009 was fuelled by drug trafficking, gangs and an influx of weapons, namely guns. The self-destruction of persons by committing acts of violence has been attributed to bad economic times.
Besides that being a possible factor, the strategic location of the islands at the cross roads of drugs heading to the United States and Europe and guns heading to the Caribbean and Latin America from the United States, have resulted in the current situation the region finds itself.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has linked the recent bloodshed to the surge in regional drug traffic, estimating that as much as 50 per cent of all cocaine bound for the U.S. and European markets from South America transits the Caribbean.
Internal fighting amongst the cartels has spilled over into the Caribbean where for example in The Bahamas, 82 people were killed last year; Puerto Rico, where more than 890 were killed in 2009, and the U.S. Virgin Islands where 56 persons were murdered.
Crime and criminals have become trans-national. Persons travel to one island commit crimes and then move on to another island living as a fugitive from justice and possibly committing additional crimes.
The multi-cultural setting of our society demonstrates that law enforcement authorities have to have a close working relationship with other Caribbean islands. Chairman of the Association of Caribbean Police Chiefs Darwin Dottin, recently pointed out that there is an estimated 1.6 million illegal guns in the region.
Regional governments are working closely with the U.S. Government to deal with the regional gun problem. Last summer nine Caribbean Governments signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), to participate in the "e-trace" ballistic tracking system, since the U.S. has been identified as the main source of guns to the region.
Law enforcement officials have observed a trend within the region of turf wars that can be traced back from one island to the next. For example, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, feuds have been taking place from persons originating from Dominica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Gangs are a region-wide phenomenon resulting in Caribbean Police Forces having to establish special gang units to deal with this challenge to society. A recent report by the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education said some of the territory's youth get involved in gangs as early as middle school, and that the influence of gang culture is on the rise throughout the public school system. Another study under Project Safe Neighbourhoods U.S.V.I. showed that 47 per cent of local students have seen a weapon at school and 25 per cent had been part of a posse or gang.
Security experts expect crime in the region in the coming years to only get worse as Mexico and the U.S.A. tighten their grip along the border in their fight against the drug cartels. Some believe that the region is already seeing this development – rise in violence - which is referred to as the "toothpaste effect."
The "toothpaste effect" entails that the Mexican drug cartels and their associates will look for alternative routes to get their products into the U.S. This can be done by expanding their operations throughout the Caribbean, and exploiting the islands weak points.
A study is needed with respect to the criminal element. Once we have that information in hand, we are then able to develop the appropriate strategy and intervention measures to fight crime on the island.
Roddy Heyliger