Gwendoline van Putten School
ST. EUSTATIUS--A sixteen-year-old male student was arrested on Friday, January 29, for stabbing a thirteen-year-old at Gwendoline van Putten (GvP) School in St. Eustatius.
The case is currently under police investigation. The police did not provide any further information about the suspect or the victim because the case involves minors.
The suspect is currently in preventive custody at the Statia police station. The weapon that was used in the stabbing was confiscated on Sunday, January 31.
The minor’s parents were also questioned during the investigation. They are fully aware of what their child has told the police and how the investigation is progressing thus far.
Indications are that the weapon used in the stabbing was a tool from a classroom in the school’s technical stream/division.
Chief of Basic Police Care St. Eustatius Police Inspector Robelto Hodge said the 13-year-old victim had sustained a pretty deep cut that measured at least six centimetres, to the left side of his back. The victim was taken to Queen Beatrix Medical Center for emergency medical care.
The stabbing came at the heels of GvP School’s announcement of its zero-tolerance policy towards violence. Hodge said there was “room for improvement,” but the police are working with school board and management to see how to deal with this situation.
Government Commissioner Marnix Van Rij recently mentioned that the police, the school, parents and students were concerned about the spate of fights at the school in the past two to three weeks, during which multiple students were involved in various altercations for a number of different reasons.
Hodge said the fights are not part of any organised “gang” situation. “There is a lot of aggression now,” he said. Part of the approach is to gain the trust of parents and students, as many are reluctant to involve the police due to their fear that police involvement means that arrests will follow.
“If something transpires where we have to arrest a youngster, then we are legally authorised to do so and that will happen, but that is not our point of departure. We want to quell and address the violence and see how we can work together with all the relevant parties – social workers, the compulsory education officer, the directorate of the school and the school board – on how best to tackle the situation,” Hodge said.
“Some of the officers themselves have children; some of our children may even be involved in some of these altercations at the school. All of us have a vested interest in trying to resolve this problem so that our children can enjoy a productive environment to study and learn, and not have to be worrying about disruptive distractions, so that they can make something of themselves and become productive citizens of this community.”
In an unrelated case the police are also investigating two cases of sexual assault at GvP School. Due to the ages of those involved no identifying information could be given.
Hodge said the sexual assault of female students is a “concerning, developing” trend. There are currently only two cases of abuse under investigation, “but sometimes you hear of other similar cases where victims are coming forward slowly but surely. We all know that during sexual assault cases the victims always become targets of ridicule by the suspects themselves and the suspects’ family and friends, who go after the victims and their families when the victims muster up the courage to come forward.”
In the GvP cases, the police started investigating one case and while doing so, found out about the second incident. Hodge spoke of an “alarming” development.
Two vice squad detectives will be arriving in Statia this week for investigations. They are certified police officials specialised in dealing with rape victims and cases of sexual assault.
