Thursday afternoon’s broad daylight armed robbery at Ama Jewellers on Front Street is exactly the kind of news one doesn’t want going into the high tourism season. Luckily there were no cruise ships in port, but of the reported 15 customers inside the business at the time of the assault some were no doubt visitors.
The modus operandi (MO) is familiar, holding security personnel at gunpoint while smashing showcases to grab the contents. In this case the vehicle used for the crime is known, but if it had indeed been stolen on the French side and carried a St. Barths number plate that may turn out to be a dead end.
The business owner is rightly thankful that nobody was injured, but the reputation of the island as holiday destination has once again been damaged. There will be five new cruise ships calling on St. Maarten this month plus two dates each with six and seven vessels, so it’s not hard to imagine the possible backlash from such incidents, especially should someone actually get hurt.
A reader on Facebook wondered how she cannot drive on Front Street, yet the getaway vehicle was parked right there. The reason is that there were no cruise ships in port and chances are the robbers planned it that way.
In the past the area would be closed to non-essential regular traffic only with two or more ships in town, but this has been changed to just one precisely out of public safety considerations. Although some motorists who like passing through Philipsburg grumbled, in hindsight it was the correct decision.
As a matter of fact, during the busy period ahead the measure should remain in force without ships too, taking into account also the end-of-year shopping rush. Like guards and metal detectors at schools, that’s not something most people would probably desire, but which nevertheless appears necessary in this day and age.
