PHILIPSBURG--Fights among students outside of school premises have resulted in the arrest of two minors. “The new school year started less than a month ago and already police and the Prosecutor’s Office have had to tackle school fights,” the St. Maarten Police Force KPSM stated.
The latest show of aggressive behaviour has landed two minors behind bars, said KPSM. “They were arrested for participating in a fight filmed by other students. One of the minors is seen on the video supplying the other with brass knuckle rings used to injure a third student. The injured student had to be tended to at the hospital. He was released after his wounds were treated.”
The preliminary police investigation found that the basis for the fight had been set a few days previously, at which time the injured student was reportedly threatened by his suspected attackers. KPSM does not rule out further arrests in this case.
KPSM and the Prosecutor’s Office urge students “to think deeply about their actions, to keep tempers in check, and avoid starting or instigating fights.” Judicial authorities warn that participation in fights around school areas can land participants in trouble with the law and getting in contact with the law can harm prospects – everything from gaining entrance to institutions of higher education to job prospects. “Aiding someone in a fight can constitute complicity, which is also punishable by law.”
Further, fights create an unfriendly and unsafe atmosphere for fellow students, police stated. “This sets a bad example for other (younger) students. Bystanders who cheer on and/or film videos of these fights should reflect on their behaviour, as they are creating and contributing to an atmosphere where people get hurt.”
Fights involving minors outside of school premises are unacceptable and punishable by the court. Highlighting this was the sentence of three minors on March 18, 2021. They were sentenced to community service of 60-100 hours for mistreating another minor in a fight outside of their school in January 2021. This is not the only case in which minors have received sentences for similar offences, KPSM noted.
“Violence in and around schools is not acceptable and will not go unpunished,” KPSM said. “The basis for these fights is often laid during school hours, escalating to violence at the end of the school day, when the minors are just outside of the schoolground. Minors are usually still in their school uniforms at the time of such incidents.”
Violence in and around school is prioritised by the Joint Committee on Youth and Crime JCO. This committee is composed of representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office, KPSM, Foundation Judicial Institutes St. Maarten SJIS, the Court of Guardianship and the Truancy Office of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. The committee’s goal is to coordinate policies and case strategies in an early phase to prevent crimes committed by the youth.
