PHILIPSBURG:--- The crime rate on St. Maarten decreased dramatically in the year 2013 compared to 2010 - 2013. The crime report compiled by KPSM showed that the amount of burglaries in 2010 was 667, 2011 - 519, 2012- 366 and in 2013 it dropped to 307. Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte said the main reason for this accomplishment is because there are more men in blue on the streets. "The community police officers (CPOs) play a huge role and there is also more police visibility with the bicycle patrol and other mobile units on the streets." Another major decrease seen from 2010 to 2013 are the break-ins of businesses on St. Maarten.
The report shows that in 2010 there were 199 break-ins at business establishments, in 2011 - 128, in 2012 – 112 and in 2013 it dropped to 71. As for robberies, in 2010 238 robberies were committed, in 2011 there was an increase to 296, in 2012 199 robberies were committed and in 2013 the amount decreased to 160.
The police also saw a decrease in car thefts from 2010 to 2013. In 2010 there were 253 vehicles stolen while in 2013 it dropped to 154.
Capital offenses such as homicide dropped severely from 2010 to 2013. The report shows that there has been a decrease of 237%. In 2010 7 murders were committed, in 2011 that number increased to 18, 7 of which were solved then it dropped to 10 in 2012 with eight of them being solved. In 2013 that number dropped to 3, police managed to solve two of the three murders committed last year.
In an invited comment, Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte said that the decrease was seen because he asked a lot of his police officers. De Witte said that his officers worked 16 hours every day and when heinous crimes are committed the entire police force worked 24/7 for the first few days.
De Witte further stated that much more can be achieved if there is more manpower this year, however, he sees that as a very difficult task due to the severe budget cuts. De Witte said the Minister of Justice is working on a plan to get more manpower for the police but that is still in the making.
Click here to view the 2013 Crime Report.