PHILIPSBURG:--- The Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) carried out targeted controls overnight Friday, September 18, into Saturday, September 19, following a series of robberies reported in Cole Bay, Simpson Bay and Cupecoy.
The operation began at approximately 10:00 p.m. near the Harold Jack lookout and Indigo Bay roundabout on A.J.C. Brouwers Road. Officers stopped and checked 18 scooters, taking eight into police custody for missing documentation or technical deficiencies. Patrols later continued through Maho, Simpson Bay, Port de Plaisance and Cupecoy.
During the operation, officers received a report of four men on scooters near the start of Front Street, reportedly wearing jackets and balaclavas. Police camera surveillance indicated that they were traveling toward Simpson Bay.
Officers located scooters near the Kruythof roundabout. According to KPSM, the riders turned into a dead-end road when they saw police. One scooter left the area. Officers later found three individuals in nearby woods, along with a scooter believed to belong to one of them. Balaclavas and gloves were found nearby.
The three individuals could not present valid identification, police said. Police arrested them on alleged violations of the LTU, the law governing admission and expulsion, and for failing to comply with a police order. KPSM did not say they had been linked to any of the recent robberies.
Officers also checked 13 scooters along the Kimsha Strip and found their documents in order. Police said 28 people were subjected to preventive searches during the operation and reported four arrests in connection with narcotics possession.
The scooter figures in KPSM’s statement do not reconcile: it lists 18 checked at the first location and 13 at Kimsha Strip, but gives an overall total of 27. KPSM did not explain the difference.
Police said targeted controls will continue in areas affected by robberies and other reported crime. KPSM urged residents to report suspicious people, vehicles or activity.