PHILIPSBURG--Members of Parliament (MPs) will discuss the spiralling crime situation and “a comprehensive approach of Government” to accomplish short-term results to combat “the recent spate of crime” in St. Maarten in an “urgent closed door” meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, October 14, at 2:00pm.
The country has been gripped by a series of gun crimes in recent weeks.
This past week alone there was a botched armed attack on PanAmerican Protective Service during which two career bandits were killed on Tuesday, October 6; the following night, Wednesday, October 7, Rouge et Noir Casino was robbed when an armed masked man stormed into the establishment and fired two shots at the glass covering the cashier booth, kicked in the door, walked into the booth and carried off an undisclosed amount of cash; and a man was gunned down in cold blood at Teke Teke Bar on Welgelegen Road on Friday, October 9, after what was said to have been an apparent shootout.
Several other incidents occurred in recent months, including the first killing of a police officer in the line of duty in St. Maarten, when Bike Patrol Leader Gamali “Benji” Benjamin was gunned down while responding to an armed robbery at Oro Diamante on Front Street on Wednesday, August 5. He died three days later at St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC).
Residents have been expressing concern about the crime situation in the country.
