Sint Martin’s vulnerable tourism infrastructure under threat of annhilation!

Figure: A police forensics investigator in the Ama jewelry store after it was robbed.

On Thursday November 3, 2016, at approximately 1:40 PM, three armed and masked men entered the Ama jewelry store, after having subdued the security guard, they proceeded to rob the store of an undisclosed quantity of jewelry. According to the owner and employees, the store was filled with customers (15 persons), who were mostly tourist’s.

Arun Biljani the owner said in a statement that two of the armed men entered further into the establishment while another armed man held the security guard at gunpoint. One of the men wielding a sledgehammer smashed eight of the jewelry display cases, while his accomplice proceeded to empty them of their contents.

Figure: At least two persons received injuries as they were, smashed over their heads with the butts of pistol’s, by the robbers.  Ambulance personnel were on the scene treating the injured.

A week later   four armed person’s wearing helmets ran into Jewelry Avenue Store on the Boardwalk and proceeded to rob the establishment. Persons in the immediate vicinity, could hear the loud shattering of the glass display cases, as the robbers set about their business. The faces of the perpetrators, were all covered with motorbike helmets.  What follows is a report from the Daily Herald:    

“On Thursday 10th November 2016 at approximately 12:50 pm the Central Dispatch received numerous calls from the public regarding an armed robbery that was taking place at a jewel store located in Kanaal Steeg, Philipsburg. Patrols from the Multi-Disciplinary Team that were busy with various controls along with the bike patrol and other uniform and non-uniform personnel reacted immediately to the calls. Due to the swift reaction of the patrols, they arrived at the moment the culprits were fleeing the scene on scooters. An intense pursuit followed whereby the culprits ditched their bikes. As a result, a foot pursuit by several of the officers ensued whereby they managed to apprehend two of the suspects. The rest of the area was also in the meantime cordoned off in search of the other two suspects. Members of the Forensic Team and K-9 unit were also called in the assist in the search. A house  search was carried out and items of value in connection this armed robbery were retrieved. At the  police station, the suspects were heard by the acting prosecutor. Both young men that are presently detained at the police station are minors. The other two suspects managed to elude the search”.

 Two days later the following report was in the corporate media: “PHILIPSBURG – Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort and Casino has become the latest target of a series of armed robberies that has plagued the island in the recent past when around 1.30 am this morning (Saturday Nov 12th), a lone gun man entered the Casino and robbed the establishment.

Details of what exactly was robbed are not clear yet. However it has been confirmed that the robber escaped on foot.

Further details will be forthcoming in the near future”.

It is clear from the many reports in the corporate media here on Sint Martin that, there is an organized thrust by criminal groups locally, aimed at the tourism infrastructure. The various groups are well aware that the police force is chronically short staffed and incompetent. The brazen daylight robberies, that were essentially successful bear salient witness to the determination and increasing sophistication of the local crime groups.  

 POINTE BLANCHE–Port St. Martin received five new cruise ships this month.

Opposition MP Roodal Moonilal said of ISIS: “The Most Significant Security Threat Facing T&T and our generation - The threat of ISIS infiltrating the Caribbean and T&T”.

In a November 11, 2016 opinion peace on Caribbean Council.org, David Jessop wrote that: “Translated into Caribbean terms, other aspects of his (Trump) professed approach may mean his administration will require the Caribbean to fully meet the costs of its own security; for example, guaranteeing the safety of US visitors”. Guaranteeing the safety of US visitors is exactly what to date no Caribbean nation has ever been able to do.  The recent spate of broad daylight robberies here on Sint Martin, on the Boardwalk and on Front Street in downtown Phillipsburg, the heart of the tourism infrastructure bears salient testimony to this fact. 

The following is from United States Southern Command Strategy 2016:

Poverty and Inequality

Poverty and inequality are critical issues throughout the hemisphere. In many cases, they create the conditions from which security challenges arise to threaten democracies throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Today, the richest one tenth of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean earn 48 percent of the total income, while the poorest tenth earn only 1.6 percent. In industrialized countries, by contrast, the top tenth receive 29.1 percent, while the bottom tenth earns 2.5 percent.

Strong governmental institutions organized around transparent policies and processes, legitimate justice systems, and ethical leaders in all elements of the government are the components necessary to defeat corruption. While our hemisphere contains many representative governments, there are some relatively significant differences in what we each think of as democracy-elections alone do not guarantee democratic rule. Nations across the region agree that in true democracies, free governments should be accountable to their people and govern effectively. The United States recognizes eleven pillars of democracy and acknowledges the importance of minority rights; majority rule; basic human rights; limited governmental power; values of tolerance and compromise; social, political, and economic pluralism; sovereignty; government by the consent of the governed; legal equality; legal due process; and free and fair elections. Governmental institutions that eliminate corruption and protect the civil rights and freedoms of those they govern are more likely to enable future security and prosperity.

Crime:

The growing threat from gangs is an outgrowth of underlying poverty and a lack of opportunity. Gang activity, much like terrorism, transcends borders and affects numerous countries in the region. Gang members are no longer resident solely in Central and South America; they create challenges throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Gangs are highly complex organizations imbedded in many types of societies. They use technology in new ways to circumvent lawful authority and travel across national borders with relative impunity. Drug trafficking will remain a hemispheric challenge. While we have made great progress in our fight against drugs, we have not yet eliminated the threat. The demand for drugs in the United States remains strong and creates incentives for illegal activities. The Andean Ridge remains the sole supplier of the world's cocaine and a provider of heroin consumed in the United States.

Drug traffickers are constantly developing new means of preventing interference with their illegal narcotics activities. As we modify our tactics, drug producers and traffickers find innovative methods to develop the drugs and alternate trafficking routes. The drug traffickers of yesterday have become much more lethal today, and this trend is expected to continue. Narco-terrorists derive their funding and power from the sale of illicit drugs and have evolved into three primary groups in Colombia: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC; the National Liberation Army, or ELN; and the United Self-Defense Forces, or AUC. These organizations have driven up the rates of homicide and kidnappings throughout the region.

These groups and a number of extremely violent gangs do not operate within traditional nation-state boundaries. They live among and terrorize the populace, and take advantage of ungoverned and under-governed spaces across the hemisphere.

Terrorism:

Areas with lower levels of economic investment, development, and growth, provide a breeding ground for terrorism and the full range of criminal activities. Poverty, inequality, and corruption create an environment where sanctuaries for terrorist organizations can grow. Islamic radical groups are present in a number of these areas within the hemisphere, many hiding in plain sight in urban areas. These terrorist operations are supporting Islamic radical groups worldwide, and there is potential for terrorists to use permissive environments within the Western Hemisphere as launching points for devastating attacks. Groups in these areas raise money by both legal (religious donations, donations from local Arab businesses) and illegal means (extortions, insurance fraud, drug trafficking, weapons sales, document sales, commercial piracy) to support terrorists world-wide.

Addressing the challenges posed by gangs, drugs, and terrorist threats requires the application of all instruments of national power including economic investment, judicial and legal reform. We must also deal with the underlying problems of unemployment, corruption, and a general lack of opportunity. We must encourage and assist in building partnerships across the region while working with inter-governmental organizations to ensure success.

The weak regional governments cannot guarantee the safety of their own citizens, much less tourists. The impotency of Caribbean governments will mean either; they foster regional cooperation in guaranteeing an acceptable level of security in the region, or continue to depend on the US, with all that implies. In the era of Trumpism the latter option is a recipe for self-destruction and an invitation for terrorist activity to proliferate in the Caribbean and eventually spread from the region to the US.