Marigot:--- A Gendarme suffered serious injuries on Wednesday after being attacked by some youths in Sandy Ground who pelted them with rocks and other objects, a press release from the Préfecture disclosed on Wednesday night.
The Gendarme suffered a fracture, several facial injuries, including lacerations that needed 15 stitches. He was taken off duty for 12 days of medical leave.
The press release did not indicate how many Gendarmes were present when their colleague who was in a patrol vehicle was attacked, also not stated in the press statement were how many youths attacked the Gendarmes and why he was attacked.
The day before in Sandy Ground Gendarmes arrested four individuals suspected of being involved in at least 31 armed robberies since mid October 2012. It is not clear if the attack on the gendarme was in reaction to the persons being arrested. Wednesday night at least 40 Gendarmes were seen in Sandy Ground combing the area for the persons who attacked and injured their colleague. Among the Gendarmes Wednesday night was the Prefet Delegue Phillipe Chopin.
The incident prompted a visit to the Gendarmerie by Préfet Philippe Chopin and President Alain Richardson who expressed their concern for the injured Gendarme and to give support.
The Préfet condemned the incident and vowed a swift reprisal adding that the State is making fighting delinquency and insecurity a priority. He praised the dedication to duty of all Gendarmes.
Gendarmes Conduct Control in Sandy Ground Wednesday Night.
After the attack on the Gendarme on the evening of January 9, 2013 a mobile unit controlled the Sandy Ground area, the Gendarmes announced in a press release. The release states that Gendarmes of St. Martin and St. Barthelemy established the operation which was on the order of the Public Prosecutor. The aim of the special control was to search for weapons and narcotics involved in the development. Several checkpoints were manned by a total of 50 military police, under the authority of Commandant Paul BETAILLE, in the presence of Prefet Delegue Philippe Chopin, who wanted to support the police in their efforts and mark the determination of the state and government in the fight against crime and delinquency.
The operation was launched at 8pm. It lasted a little over an hour and allowed law enforcement to thoroughly check 80 vehicles and 150 people. During the operation, two arrests were made; one for possession and transportation of an illegal 6th grade weapon (baseball bat), the second for possession of narcotics (herb). Besides baseball bat and drugs mentioned above, three scooters were immobilized by decision administrative (non-compliance, uninsured and unidentifiable) and confiscated by the police. Methodical raking of the ground by a dog team specializing in the research of drugs associated with the control also discovered 77 grams of herbal cannabis and 150 grams of seeds cannabis clearly abandoned by their holder (s) to a few tens of meters of dams.
The operation confirmed that the majority of the population of the district Sandy Ground have friendly forces and needs to be protected, while a minority of young people aged 15 to 25 years, offenders usual living through theft and trafficking, are inherently hostile to the police and feared by the sound of the fringe population who are daily victims of their actions.
The gendarmerie intends to keep the pressure on to fight against this type of crime in cooperation of constant support of judicial authorities on those terrorizing the area.
The operation was also an opportunity to explain to the residents of Sandy Ground the incided where Gendarme was attacked and severely injured in their district.
Bases on evidence gathered by the police, it seems that this aggression by stoning and throwing a variety of projectiles is related not only to the arrest of four suspects of robberies and armed robberies that morning, but also an arrest four days earlier of an individual carrying 4.754 kg of herbal cannabis. The neutralization of the dealer and the confiscation of such a quantity of drugs clearly destabilized a small network which caused him a substantial financial loss.
