"I condemn in the strongest terms the firearm attack perpetrated Sunday night, on a tourist who was walking back to his hotel on Grand-Case Boulevard. Fortunately, the victim was taken care of and I wish him a speedy recovery. He and his family have my deepest sympathy and the full support of our institution.
The crime situation has worsened in recent months with an increasing number of violent acts. The gendarmerie statistics bear witness to this and I have asked Prefect Vincent BERTON to increase the police presence on the public domain of the Collectivité, particularly in places with high tourist traffic such as Grand-Case.
The Collectivity of Saint-Martin and its territorial police will play their full part in this system by reinforcing surveillance patrols on the ground, jointly with the gendarmerie.
I also asked the Cadre de Vie delegation to speed up the construction work on the territorial police premises that are due to open very soon in Grand-Case and Quartier d'Orléans. In 2025, the community also plans to rehabilitate the building of the former Cul-de-Sac college to make it a place of learning, with workshops for young people, in order to give them the keys and knowledge to more easily access the world of work.
The Tuesdays of Grand-Case will soon begin and I want maximum security for our tourists and residents throughout the territory. I have therefore asked the people in charge to set up a new surveillance system to secure people when they leave restaurants, especially in Grand-Case.
Violent acts like the one perpetrated Sunday night in Grand-Case are unacceptable, they are causing enormous harm to our tourist destination and, by extension, to our economy. I have absolutely no sympathy or mitigating circumstances for those who behave in this way and use gratuitous violence. Everything will be done to ensure that the perpetrators answer for their actions before the courts.
Saint-Martin lives from tourism and visitors and residents alike must feel safe on Friendly Island. The community will ensure this with the involvement of the State and the police, whose primary mission this is.
https://faxinfo.fr/en/politique-vol-a-main-armee-a-grand-case-la-reaction-du-president-louis-mussington/
