PHILIPSBURG--With robberies becoming more frequent on the island, the Council on Law Enforcement (CLE) has investigated the approach used by law enforcement to curb the number of these crimes.
The Council made a total of eight recommendations pertaining to the Police Force of St. Maarten and the Prosecutor’s Office in a report Council Chairman Franklyn Richards submitted recently to Minister of Justice Richard Gibson. The recommendations aim at the specific approach authorities use to combat robberies. Three of those recommendations address the lack of basic resources, such as computer hard drives, laptops, official police cars, capacity and analysts.
Due to their high impact nature, robberies are prioritised in the investigation phase. Prioritisation means that all robberies have to be investigated. For this, the Police Force has set up a special team known as the Special Robberies Unit.
The Council concludes that what was intended with the prioritisation of robberies is not feasible with the present situation. The Council encourages the police and the Prosecutor’s Office to carry out more controls over the current prioritisation process. The current approach used by the Special Robberies Unit needs to be evaluated and it is recommended to review how this approach can be improved.
The Council considers it important for the Police Force to introduce a better system of registering robberies reported, to obtain further understanding of the nature and extent of the crime; this while keeping these files updated all the time.
The Council also recommends that training needs to be available to those members of the Special Robberies Unit who have not been able to follow a specific course. Keeping in mind that prevention is better than cure, the methodology used to combat robberies needs not only a repressive approach, but also a preventive one, notes the Council.
Particularly where the participation of the business sector is concerned, St. Maarten still has to make considerable strides, taking into consideration that prevention requires a combined approach. It should be one in which Government, the business sector and the community of St. Maarten work together closely and everyone assumes their responsibilities, the Council announced on Monday.
