From left: Vice Prosecutor Marie-Lucie Godard, Prosecutor General Éric Maurel, Préfet Cyrille Le Vély, Commandant of the Gendarmerie Lieutenant Colonel Hugues Loyez, and Commandant of the Border Police, Police aux Frontières (PAF), David Appelghem (Robert Luckock photo)
~Armed robberies down 30%~
MARIGOT--Crime figures for Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy for 2025 were presented at a press conference Friday showing an overall decrease of 2.7% in all areas of delinquency. They included 10% fewer assaults on people, 14% fewer property offences, and 12% fewer domestic violence incidents.
For Saint Martin there were 3,245 delinquency incidents in 2025 compared to 3,358 in 2024. The number of serious accidents fell by 7% and four fatalities were recorded in 2025.
The Gendarmerie and Border Police carried out 12 operations to search passengers and baggage at Grand Case Airport and also in the Galisbay Port.
Noted in particular were the numbers for drug trafficking: Five deal points dismantled, 48 controls on drug dealing and more than 1,600 kg of drugs seized by State services.
Figures on gun crime showed a 30% decrease in armed robberies compared to 2024, and double the number of weapons seized (56) compared to 2024, 80% fewer homicide attempts (10 compared to 44 in 2024) and a slight increase in the number of homicides, seven compared to six in 2024.
In the category of money laundering and confiscation of criminal possessions, 4.2 million euros of criminal assets were seized, 16 times more than in 2024. Some US$ 25,000 and 54,000 euros were seized or held as suspected money laundering by Customs. Some 11.5 million euros were attributed to breaches of capital declaration obligations.
On cross border cooperation, 15 joint border controls with Saint Martin and Sint Maarten law enforcement were carried out and 21 joint cross border checks at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA).
Préfet Cyrille Le Vély described the figures as “encouraging” but the work must continue. He placed high priority on combating drug trafficking and vehicle theft, and the networks that exist on both sides of the island to facilitate this latter crime. No figures were given for car jackings.
He mentioned that the success rate of resolving investigations was 54% and praised the efficient coordination between law enforcement and State services.
The Préfet was joined at the press conference by the Prosecutor General of Guadeloupe, Éric Maurel, Vice Prosecutor in Saint Martin Marie-Lucie Godard, Commandant of the Gendarmerie Lieutenant Colonel Hugues Loyez, and Commandant of the Border Police, Police aux Frontières (PAF), David Appelghem.
