MARIGOT: As reported in our edition of Thursday, September 22, the Public Prosecutor of Basse-Terre and the Commander of the Gendarmerie invited the press on Tuesday, September 20, to discuss a subject that particularly affects Saint-Martin, namely armed robbery. Here is the second part of the topics discussed during this interview.
KPSM & Gendarmerie
The subject of cooperation between the Dutch side (KPSM) and the French side of the island was also discussed and relations between the two services are satisfactory. Lieutenant-Colonel Maxime Wintzer-Wehekind is meeting with his Dutch counterparts this Friday to discuss their common problems, including BAMA. For the judicial side, Christelle Bellet, vice-prosecutor, specifies that the public prosecutor’s office of Saint-Martin has intensified the monthly exchanges with the public prosecutor’s office of Sint Maarten to anticipate and facilitate communications.
Video protection on the territory
During the local security and delinquency prevention council, which was also held on Tuesday morning, September 20, with Louis Mussington, President of the Collectivité, Vincent Berton, Delegate Prefect of the Northern Islands, Thierry Verres, Chief of the Territorial Police, the head of mission Evelyne FLEMING and those present at the press briefing described here, the subject of the absence of video-protection on the island was put on the table, a real brake on the actions of the gendarmerie which is deprived of the 160 cameras formerly active on the territory. Video protection is an effective prevention and detection tool for investigators. Even if the merchants are invited to install their video-protection system, being accompanied by the gendarmerie in the process, the services of the Collectivity work to put back in service a sufficient video-protection mesh to help the investigators. The file is thus initiated.
Zero tolerance for the possession of firearms
To conclude the press briefing, the Public Prosecutor and the Gendarmerie Commander called on the population to be attentive to the circulation of firearms, which are necessarily seen by the entourage of the perpetrators or potential perpetrators who live under their roof. It happens that people come across these weapons, which can result in a tragedy like last year when a young girl committed suicide with a firearm found in her home. It is the responsibility of the family members to contact the gendarmerie to report the discovery of a weapon. It is better to prevent than to do nothing and have your child or loved one incarcerated because they shot someone during a robbery gone wrong. An awareness campaign on the possession of weapons will soon be put in place. For the prosecutor, there is no justification for a person to have a weapon of category A or B in the street. “This is not the society we live in and it is not the society we want to have”, concludes Xavier Sicot.
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