The St. Maarten Police Force KPSM is again calling on the owners of confiscated scooters (see related story) to come get their property. The bikes are periodically destroyed if nobody with proof of purchase shows up to claim them.
By now it’s no secret that scooters are widely considered a problem on the island because of the way many riders behave in traffic and their frequent use in armed robberies. Even for law enforcement they present major challenges.
Motorbikes can manoeuvre in spaces too tight for patrol cars and are easily hidden. The prospect of chasing them is therefore hardly an attractive one, not in the last place because relatives, neighbours and friends have been known to side with the often young riders during ensuing confrontations.
Police do occasionally conduct controls on two-wheelers and seize a large number of them. Still, the amount on the road only seems to be growing.
The author of this column knows about two cases in the past week alone where pedestrians had been knocked down by scooter riders who then left the scene. In both cases they lacked licence plates and were not wearing a helmet.
More regular targetted checks certainly appear in order. Non-compliant bikes should be taken and kept off the streets.
