SINT MAARTEN POLICE Stolen car recovered early Friday morning
Philipsburg, Februari 7th 2020
Stolen car recovered early Friday morning
The Sint Maarten Police Force patrols were able to recover a stolen I-10 from a suspect with initials G.R.O.B (27) early Friday morning 7th February, 2020 on the Soualiga Road.
The patrols were dispatched to a bar on the Soualiga road, at approximately 5:15 am, where a stole I-10 vehicle was spotted parked in the lot. When the officers arrived on the scene they encountered suspect G.R.O.B, who could not provide the proper documentation for the vehicle. The vehicle was then checked by the officers, and they were able to discover an air condition unit (AC), as well as three (3) cellular phones in the car.
G.R.O.B was arrested without incident and brought to the Philipsburg station for questioning. All items in the car have been confiscated and the vehicle was towed, pending further investigation.
Arrest made for assault at a Casino
On Friday 7th February, the Sint Maarten Police Force Patrol and Ambulance Personnel’s assistance were requested at the Rouge et Noir casino on the backstreet, at approximately 12:35 am, for an assault that had taken place.
When officers arrived on the scene they were met by the victim with initials T.T.M who explained that he had just been assault by an unknown male. According to reports from the T.M he was randomly approached by the suspect and with no prior confrontation, the suspect proceeded to assault him with a bottle to the head. The victim was treated by the ambulance personnel on the scene and was later taken to the Sint Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) for further treatment.
The victim was able to provide the officers on the scene with a full detailed description and based on this officers were able to ascertain the identity of the suspect with initials G.R.P. Patrols were able to find the suspect at his home in the Dutch Quarter area and he was arrested. He was brought to the Philipsburg police station for further questioning. As of now it is unclear whether G.R.P may have been under the influence of any sorts.
Joint effort meeting held to combat the rise in car theft crimes
In an effort to combat the increase in car theft crimes on both the Dutch side and the French side of the island, the Sint Maarten Police Force(KPSM) together with the Public Prosecutor (OM) met with the Gendarmarie on Thursday 6th February, to come up with plan of approach to solve this growing issue.
The meeting, which was held at the Philipsburg police station, was a means for all parties to come up with a joint solution to help alleviate car theft and formulate a tackle plan to do so. During the meeting information was exchanged of all current cases of car theft reports on both the Dutch side and French side of the island.
In the upcoming weeks, KPSM, the OM and the Gendarmarie will be meeting with the different key stakeholders to derive a plan on how we can better reintegrate cars into circulation. The different stakeholders that will be met with are the insurance companies on the island as well as TEATT’s inspection department.
The hope is to better understand how the processes are currently done and to brain storm on how we all can jointly come up with new and improved ways to register and insure all cars. This will then make it next to impossible for stolen vehicles not to be detected and reported when the thieves try to reintegrate the cars in to the circulation. The proper authorizes can then be immediately alerted and these car thieves can be apprehended.
We know cars are an important part of our lives, almost as important as our homes. Instead of making yourself an easy target take a moment to inspect your vehicle. Take precautionary measures by: always taking your keys with you when you leave your vehicle; always close your windows and doors when you are not in your vehicle; make an effort to park in well lit areas at all times; never leave your vehicle unattended while running; never leave valuables in the vehicle in plain eyes view; protect your vehicle with an antitheft / immobilizer device.
In the end Law Enforcement can only do so much to help prevent your cars from being stolen. Prevention is always better than finding a cure, protect your property by taking the necessary precautionary measures. (see pictures attached)