MARIGOT–Newly-installed Préfète Déléguée for St. Martin and St. Barths Sylvie Danielo-Feucher convened the media for her first press conference Monday afternoon to outline her priorities and objectives in her new role since succeeding Anne Laubies.
Earlier in the morning she joined President Daniel Gibbs and Senator Guillaume Arnell for a wreath-laying ceremony in the garden of Hotel de la Collectivité.
She began by outlining her career with the National Police, holding various posts in anti-drug trafficking, judicial police, public security, delinquency prevention, with police unions, and her appointment as Police Commissioner. She noted this background experience will be useful here in St. Martin.
“I’m very honoured to be taking on this challenge,” she said of her appointment. She added she is very familiar with the overseas territories, having lived in French Polynesia for three years and worked in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Mayotte.
From the outset she was assertive, and well prepared with clear goals and objectives. She said one of her first tasks will be to address the cleaning-up of the island, particularly removal of car and boat wrecks, that she described as “urgent” and to instil more awareness and responsibility into citizens to do their part on their private properties.
She credited the Collectivité with doing a great job so far, but there is still a lot more to do. Security is another of her priorities to restore confidence in the island.
“My goal is to help restore the island’s image to boost tourism and employment.” She noted that security on the roads is another concern, adding she has already noticed risky behaviour with young people riding scooters or motorbikes without helmets, something she will address for security in general.
She added that a debriefing will be held this week with the Collectivité and State services after a close brush with hurricane – turned tropical storm Beryl, to evaluate the response and communication of all the services to the threat.
Attention to the need of the youth is another of her priorities. “As a mother of three children, the youth are close to my heart. They are the future and must be given every chance to succeed, to be trained,” she said.
Cooperation between the respective law enforcement services of the island and sustainable development will be among topics the Préfète will be discussing with Dutch-side Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin on Friday.
“I think it will be a very interesting meeting and I am very happy to meet the Prime Minister,” she said.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/78473-youth-security-island-clean-up-among-new-prefete-s-objectives
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