Concerns about rising theft from boats in Simpson Bay Lagoon (see Tuesday and Wednesday front pages) should not be taken lightly. If cruisers choose not to come here any longer or go elsewhere for this reason it could seriously undermine the island’s position as favoured yachting destination.
The importance of the marine industry was confirmed by a new economic impact study reported on in today’s edition. It shows that in 2023 the sector amounted to 16.3% of St. Maarten’s gross domestic product (GDP), attracted 26,386 visitors on 4,029 vessel arrivals and contributed US $140 million in direct spending. It also supports over 300 local businesses and sole proprietors with 4,769 employees producing $242 million per year.
But all this might easily be jeopardised if the island gets a reputation of being unsafe among cruisers. Bad news travels fast, so it is good that police issued a public warning after several incidents, confirming urgent attention for the issue.
Frustration was nevertheless expressed by victims over perceived lack of related law enforcement action. Some also acknowledged that having two countries share a territory does not make things any easier, because culprits freely go back and forth.
The latter makes detection and pursuit more difficult. Effective collaboration between authorities on either side of the open border thus remains critical.
There used to be a harbour police unit in St. Maarten with its own boats, but that apparently no longer exists. The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard has taken over most of their work, but actively investigating crimes is another matter.
In reality, local officers need to mainly conduct such probes from land, simply because they are not on the water. That is something to perhaps reconsider going forward, because there is only so much coast-guarders and possibly even marines can do.
It was reassuring to note that many yachts have security features of their own like trackers in their dinghies and onboard surveillance cameras. While this won’t necessarily stop burglars, it may help eventually bring them to justice and hopefully recover stolen property.
