PHILIPSBURG--Making an impact and leaving a lasting impression are just some of the characteristics chosen in this year’s Person of the Year.
Gamali Benjamin sacrificed his life this year trying to stop bandits robbing a jewellery store on Front Street on August 5. History will have Benjamin as the first St. Maarten officer to die in the line of duty, permanently reminding the population about the true meaning of the “protect and serve” slogan.
The island was plagued with seven murders in 2015, making it a busy year for law enforcement. Understaffed and overworked, the men and women in blue offered no excuses about going out and catching the bad guys, making several arrests hours after incidents occurred, even without optimal resources.
Benjamin was known throughout the community for his professionalism, kindness and patience. On the recommendation of the police management and his colleagues, former Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson presented Officer Benjamin with a token of appreciation on July 17 in recognition of his outstanding and exemplary service. As a bike patrol officer, “Benji,” as he was affectionately known, visited businesses in Philipsburg on a daily basis, with the simple words, “Hope you are having a good day, all the best,” it was said at the time.
Benjamin passed away on Saturday, August 8, three days after being shot during the robbery, and more information about the incident is expected to come to light when the culprits’ trial begins next year.
Word about his injuries travelled quickly, just minutes after the fatal shooting, creating widespread support with expressions of outrage, words of comfort and well-wishes also via social media from a cross-section of society. Various praying sessions were organised by church groups along with silent marches against violence, all in acknowledgement of Benjamin’s heroics.
The men and women in blue had to get through a difficult period, losing their beloved colleague. At no time was there any noticeable sentiment of perhaps giving up and throwing in the towel by not showing up for work the next day.
Impact
The impact of Gamali Benjamin’s death caused a chain reaction from the business community. Philipsburg was transformed into a ghost town the day after the shooting. The businesses wanted to send a firm message that they are against all forms of criminal activity.
The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) strongly condemned the actions that led to the shooting of Benjamin. SHTA said it best: “When everyone is running away, these men and women are the ones turning into all situations. Too often their bravery, courage and deep sense of duty towards the citizens and visitors alike are underestimated and undervalued.”
The NAPB police union called for authorities to put officers’ safety on the front burner. The need for bulletproof vests and proper medical insurance came to the forefront immediately.
A massive crowd turned out to pay their last respects to Benjamin at his funeral on August 13. Scores of persons converged on Philipsburg to witness the ceremony, which attracted mourners from all over the island. Thousands around the world also watched the live-Internet streaming online, which included the church service before the funeral.
Action
Then Justice Minister Richardson announced some actions that would take place effective immediately. Whether they all happened is another story, but at the time the intention was to have 20 current vacancies in the Police Force filled immediately, along with increased patrolling of the Philipsburg shopping area in cooperation with the other law enforcement agencies.
Bulletproof vests were purchased and other materials are presently being ordered to help ensure all officers’ personal safety. Legislation and policies will be adopted to ban motorbikes, scooters and quads, these criminals’ preferred means of transportation, from being operated on Front Street, Back Street, Cannegieter Street and all alleys in between. Pending the completion of such legal measures, police were establishing checkpoints, carrying out preventive searches and executing joint controls in cooperation with other uniformed personnel such as Customs and the Immigration Department.
High-value sales points, shops and such that do not take security measures can become “lightning rods” for armed robberies, increasing the risk for staff, clients, innocent bystanders and law enforcement officials who rush to their aid should something happen. The Ministry of Justice will research the possibility of the establishing of compulsory steps that must be taken by all businesses for their own safety.
Public-private partnerships will be pursued and established towards the strengthening of security. The joint controls will increase their focus on combating the illegal import of weapons. The visibility of these teams has increased and they can be seen practically on a daily basis, travelling in groups and controlling the streets.
However, there is no indication up to now that all this has reduced the number of gun-related crimes since.
On the rise
The Justice Ministry has noticed the increase of violent gun-related crimes and robberies and is still trying to combat this apparently growing phenomenon on the island. Just recently the Council on Law Enforcement (CLE) investigated the approach used by law enforcement to curb these types of 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 Chairman Franklyn Richards submitted recently to current Minister of Justice Richard Gibson. The recommendations aim at the specific approach authorities use to tackle robberies. Three of the suggestions address the lack of basic necessities 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 concluded that what was intended with the prioritisation of robberies was not feasible with the present situation. It encouraged 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. Police say they will continue to fight gun violence and hope to push it back in 2016.
There are some cases in which the police came under a lot of fire, such as policeman Richmer York’s conviction for shooting Akeem Isidora this year. Officer Akil R.S. van Heyningen (31) was found guilty by the Court of First Instance this month of having committed domestic violence against two former girlfriends. There were also some brawls in which a few officers were involved, but the continued commitment to create a safe community certainly would seem to outweigh whatever bad apples may still exist.
Runner-up
There were various contenders for the Person of the Year and one cannot deny that, for example, Governor Eugene Holiday had an interesting 2015. While not an elected official, he had to make some tough decisions in the political arena and in doing so put the interpretation of the Constitution up for public debate once again.
How do you handle a political conundrum involving the two highest bodies in the land: Parliament and the Council of Ministers? One can only imagine what someone else would do when faced with a motion of no confidence in the Council of Ministers and a decree for the dissolution of Parliament at the same time. Governor Holiday sought compromise and still focused on what the law of the land prescribes.
Early elections will be held in 2016 and the legislature is being dissolved. However, rather than going back to the polls on February 9 as originally announced, this will now take place on September 26, giving the interim William Marlin Cabinet time to, among other things, introduce electoral reform and especially tackle so-called ship-jumping by parliamentarians that led to political instability and no less than five governments since country status was achieved per 10-10-10.
Not everyone was happy with Holiday, but many agreed that he had tried to make the best of a bad situation. As St. Maarten’s first Governor, another term of six years appears to be on the horizon.
Undisputed
The Daily Herald’s undisputed Person of the Year is fallen hero Gamali Benjamin. May his soul rest in eternal peace. He will be remembered forever as the first local officer who gave his life for his country.
