Dear Editor,
For many years I have heard “Woh he getting on so for, nothing ain’t happen.” In the editorial of March 31st, I read “This concern is understandable, it has become a custom for persons to hang around the gate and offer passengers coming out their services.” And then this was added: “As long as they do it in a tactful and respectful manner this won’t cause any problems, but that is not always the case.” If I say “As long as the grown-up got the minor pregnant in a tactful and respectful manner this won’t cause any problems.”
The following is not beside the point but it was brought to my attention that there are people who come from neighbouring islands on days when there are two or more ships in shore, rent a car for the day and yes become gypsy for the day and sometimes pick up tourists from the hotels and take them on day tours etc. All of this I blame on all the governments of St. Maarten since whenever.
There is very little that remains hidden on St. Maarten and those who are responsible for the fixing of “stuff” are still turning a blind eye to all the illegalities among the people which distracts the people from seeing that they are not doing what they were elected to do.
I do not agree that a handful of police were selected to go to Miami in order to learn how to deal with the youth. In my opinion this should be part of the basic training. The police should not be seen as social workers They are there to intervene as first responders and recognise the problems in order to be able to make recommendations.
There is an ordinance which in Dutch is the Algemene Politie Verordening (General Police Ordinance). These are the laws which are actually the laws which enables the police to enforce law and order on the whole community and not only drivers. These are the laws which are there to police the whole community.
The police is not there to rear people’s children. That is the job of the parents and I would venture to say the schoolteachers. I mention this because here on St. Maarten children spend at least seven to eight of the waken hours of a day with the schoolteachers.
When you select certain people out of a group to do special things which eventually the whole group will have to do, you are indirectly separating the group. One of the things, in my opinion, that has taken away from the authority of the police and along with that the respect due, is the change of uniform which any and everybody is now imitating. There are basic things in a police force which do not change and I miss seeing them. I stated it before and I will repeat it. Experience is what should be made use of in a police force and you do not get that by selecting who (which friend) to promote.
Russell A. Simmons
