Rolando Brison
~ And fine them NAf. 50,000 ~
PHILIPSBURG--United People’s (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Rolando Brison says the faction will be taking steps to initiate an amendment of the Penal Code to increase the penalty for persons convicted of motor vehicle theft to a minimum of five years imprisonment and fine of NAf. 50,000.
Brison told The Daily Herald that the aim is to have the amendment in Parliament by May 1.
The current penalties are four years imprisonment and a fine of NAf. 25,000. Brison said in a press release on Wednesday evening that this is one way to curb the spate of vehicle thefts in the country.
He said government must take urgent measures to curb car thefts in St. Maarten. “This includes paying attention to those streets that are still not yet lit or that were lit, but destroyed by hurricane winds,” he said. “Crime in general, and especially this type of crime, can have an especially damaging impact on our already fragile economy.”
He said car thieves and the persons to whom they sell the vehicle parts “are also at risk. The trauma that is caused to the victims of car theft adds to the mental struggles of our citizens who already undergo the scariest experience in their lives of fighting to live in the era of COVID-19.”
Brison said reports from the community indicate that car thefts occur weekly, with privately-owned vehicles, rentals and trucks targeted.
Brison will be asking Minister of Justice Anna Richardson to make car thefts a “priority point” for investigation. Some persons believe that there are two or three groups responsible for the most recent car thefts.
Car rental companies and other businesspersons have complained about vehicle thefts. Some suggested that bandits may be targeting their cars for export to islands where they can get top dollar.
“Rather than condemning our police, our collective goal should be to work with them and strengthen their resources and give them the tools both in terms of laws and otherwise that will help them to better serve and protect our citizens and their properties,” said Brison.
Several vehicle owners took to Facebook to offer rewards for information, and others have searched for their stolen vehicles. Sadly, Brison said, not all cars stolen are recovered.
“We must recognise that St. Maarten cannot become known as a place where it is unsafe to drive a rented vehicle or purchase a vehicle and park it outside your gates for fear that it would be stolen. If we become known for car thefts, it will destroy our tourism product and worsen our already fragile economy.”
An additional concern is the violence that can occur during a vehicle robbery.
“Owners of vehicles are probably asking the question, ‘What rights do I have and how far can I go to protect my property?’ It cannot be easy to wake up one morning to find a vehicle that you use for business or personal use has been stolen. The business community and the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau must come together to find ways to create awareness without raising alarms. At the same time, we must ensure that the police presence on the island increases as well.
“To have single parents not being able to take their children to school after they were out of school for so long and to have the sense of safety taken away from our residents and visitors is in itself a crime against humanity.”
Referring to the suggested five years for offenders, Brison said, “While we are adamant that the incarceration period should be long, we want to ensure that there are active rehabilitation programmes for these individuals so that they do not return to society and remain a burden on our people and economy.”
