PHILIPSBURG:--- Between midnight on Thursday November 27th and Friday November 28th at 3:00 a.m., a general joint control was held between the Gendarmes and the Justice Department on the Dutch Side consisting of the Immigration, Border Control and Protection Service, the Custom Department, Vrijwilligers Korps Sint Maarten (VKS) and the Police Department. This control is one of many that will be planned for the future. This general control was geared toward the continuous battle against crime in general on the island, both French and Dutch side. The main focuses of this control are the removing of illegal firearms and drugs from the streets. The "Stop, Drop and Go" Program has come to an end and the focus will now be to out and search for the illegal weapons and drugs. The group consisted of 70 persons including 10 Gendarmes. The group was divided in to four smaller groups and posted at the four border crossing points namely Low Lands, Bellevue, Belvedere and Oyster Bay, where they carried the intense control.
The Prefect Phillipe Chopin, representatives from the French Justice Department and the Commander of the Gendarmes met with the Chief Public Prosecutor Karola van Nie, the Acting Chief of Police Commissioner Carl John, and Chief Inspector Geronimo Juliet from the Immigration Department at the Cause Way/border round-a-bout, in order to inspect how the control was going. During this meeting the main topic was the working relation between both parts of the island, explaining and agreeing that this is definitely the way of jointly working and combating crime and any other illegal activity on the island. Karola van Nie stated that she was very proud to see how the two justice departments were working together to improve the working relations.
During the control a total of 204 vehicles were checked, 24 fines were given, 12 vehicles were towed and 12 persons were arrested in connection with their illegal status on the island.
The controls will continue indefinitely.
Possible suicide.
On Friday morning November 28th at approximately 10:30 a.m. police patrols, detectives and forensic personnel were sent to investigate a possible suicide at an apartment building at Tamarind Hill in Oyster Pond. On the scene the investigating officers spoke to witnesses and the landlord of the building. The witnesses stated that M.M. from the United States who lived at that apartment and work in Time Share Sales did not report at Oyster Bay to work for a number days. The last day he was seen was on Saturday November 22nd. M.M. had an accident on the job and was taking medication for that. Several attempts were made to contact him by phone but he did not answer. Today witnesses decided to go to his home. They notified police and there, at his home, is when and where they located the already decomposing body of M.M. Doctor Mercuur came to the scene and stated that the victim had possibly committed suicide. The Forensic Department was on the scene collecting evidence. The case is under investigation. The body of the victim was taken to the morgue.
KPSM Police Report
