PHILIPSBURG--The spike in armed robberies and killings has the "concern" of the government and the police "who are doing their best" to solve the problems, First Acting Lt. Governor and Local Chief of Police Reynold Groeneveldt said this week.
His comments were made ahead of today's candlelight walk against crime, organised by the United Task Force Against Crime. The walk starts at 7:00pm from John Larmonie Centre on Long Wall Road, through Front Street and will end at Cyrus Wathey Square. Short speeches by concerned community leaders will be made at the end of the march. (See related story)
Like Groeneveldt, Democratic Party (DP) Island Councilwoman Maria Buncamper-Molanus is also concerned about crimes committed in the past week, many of which are still unsolved.
She is calling on Groeneveldt to provide statistics in an effort to brainstorm what can be done to tackle the various crimes effectively.
The councilwoman had written to former Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards earlier this year asking for the official crime statistics, but she said these were never forwarded. "I am now calling on the Acting Lt. Governor to pick up the matter."
Crime was no longer an issue for just the police and the justice system, nor can it be said that the responsibility to mend the situation is the competency of the Central Government she said, adding that St. Maarten was busy preparing to take over those responsibilities.
A "structured approach" to handling crime and putting in place measures to make the community more secure are very necessary, the councilwoman said. She said during her tenure as commissioner, an auxiliary police training course was started with several people within the civil service who took the oath after being trained. The course, she added, was part of a larger programme that should not be allowed to "lose momentum."
