On several occasions other persons have approached the media saying they were victims of police brutality and each time the accusations are levied the police management team promises to investigate. However, police brutality is still plaguing this society.
A Checkmate security guard that was stationed at the Caribbean Cinemas Megaplex 7 in Simpson Bay on January 31 2011, reported to police Commissioner Carl John concerning an incident. The security guard said while he was working three police officers, namely Aswin Martina, Maria and Orlando Meyers brutalized him for no apparent reason.
According to information reaching SMN News, Commissioner Carl John denounced the actions of the three officers saying that such actions are not tolerated by the police management team. The top cop also called in internal affairs and ordered that an investigation be conducted. To date the security guard Sherwin Loncke and Checkmate Security is yet to receive an official police report of the incident.
The officer at internal affairs and Commissioner John promised Checkmate and the security guard that they will call them back in one week. Three weeks have passed and no report has been delivered and to date no actions have been taken by the police management team.
According to the information provided to SMN News, officer Aswin Martina went to Megaplex 7 on Wednesday January 26th around 4pm to pick up his four year old daughter at the Ballerina School that is located upstairs of the building. SMN News learnt that when Officer Martina reached the location he was going upstairs and the security guard asked him where he was going since no one is allowed to go upstairs if there are no movies showing. According to our sources, Officer Martina did not tell the security guard where he was going and at some point there was an exchange of words between the security guard and Officer Martina. It is alleged that Officer Martina told the security guard he will teach him a lesson but he never told the guard he was a police officer. Eyewitnesses to the scene said Officer Martina was using all sorts of obscene language when he threatened the security guard who told him that he could have easily said that he was going to pick up his child.
SMN News further learnt that on Monday January 31 2011 Martina and three other officers' returned to Megaplex 7 dressed in police uniforms and one of them called the security guard who went to them and they began beating him.
Another security guard working in the area said he witnessed the entire ordeal. The officer said Loncke was punched in the stomach and chest area. The officers asked him for his identification card but they never stopped throwing blows at him. "What I see happen to that security officer can happen to anyone else. Those cops are a disgrace to the police force."
At one point, the officers even arrested the security guard because he was not in possession of his identification card but had a copy of his residency papers. Minutes later, the security guard was released and beaten again when he tried to call his supervisor, the eyewitness said.
The incident that occurred that day was reported to police internal affairs, but to date the victim did not get a copy of the police report. Checkmate Security was asked to keep the incident out of the media and to allow the police to handle the matter but so far nothing has happened.
It must be noted, that Officer Martina was brought back from Saba because he used excessive force there. Since this officer came to work on St. Maarten there are at least three cases of police brutality against him, two of which occurred in Simpson Bay while police internal affairs also investigated his role in the alleged vote buying case with the United Peoples Party.
In an invited comment, Chief of Police Peter De Witte said he is also awaiting the report from Police Internal Affairs, which should be ready by next week. De Witte confirmed that Martina was implicated in the vote buying case and the files are at the Prosecutor's office for a decision to be taken. The police chief said he is fully aware of the case filed against the three officers where it involved the security guard and that as soon as the report is completed it will be sent to the Prosecutors Office. On the case of Cimmeron Marlin, De Witte said he has an appointment with Marlin for Monday. The top cop said he will first listen to Marlin's story and he will investigate the case and when the findings are known he will make it available to the public.
