A spate of shootings continues to be the talk of town in St. Maarten after several more such incidents were reported. The apparent proliferation of firearms is a major concern.
Reinforcements from other Dutch Caribbean territories have meanwhile arrived and a greater police street presence can already be noted. Related intensified and targetted controls should help enhance public safety and a sense of security.
However, as stated in this column earlier, the guns used in these cases came from abroad, because there is no local factory that makes them. Doing something about this on both sides of the island appears essential in current efforts to fight violent crime.
Smuggling practices are facilitated by all the beaches, bays and inlets. This makes it hard to constantly monitor the entire shoreline effectively, despite radar capabilities.
However, many of the weapons may also be coming through the airport and harbour. The latter is particularly vulnerable due to extensive container traffic.
Member of Parliament (MP) Richinel Brug (URSM) during a recent meeting with caretaker Justice Minister Lyndon Lewis (NOW) openly questioned how effective the current approach is in that regard. His opinion matters, because as – currently on non-active duty – Volunteer Corps VKS officer, the coalition member has actively taken part in Customs controls at the country’s maritime gateway.
He thinks it’s not adequate and mentioned the need to acquire a modern, efficient scanner with bigger capacity, able to better handle the considerable cargo volume. In terms of investing in law enforcement, this seems like a no-brainer.
