On Wednesday, during questions to the government, Senator Annick Pétrus questioned the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, in the Senate on the growing insecurity in Saint-Martin, where the crime rate is five times higher than in mainland France.
Shootings, robberies and assaults are worrying the population, while the police are struggling to contain the violence, amplified by drug trafficking and the illegal circulation of weapons.
Although the gendarmerie is mobilized and cooperation with Sint Maarten is working, these efforts remain insufficient according to the elected official, who calls for strong and immediate intervention by the State.
She particularly regrets that the video surveillance system, destroyed by Hurricane Irma, has not yet been restored.
In response, Minister Bruno Retailleau, who "fully shares the observation of the deterioration of the security climate in Saint-Martin", announced three measures, some of which are already active: the appointment of a full-time prefect with a priority mission on security, a reinforcement of the presence of gendarmes on public roads and at the four border crossing points, as well as the dispatch of a squadron of mobile gendarmes, occasionally supported by the GIGN of Guadeloupe.
He stressed that the fight against drug trafficking, the driving force behind crime, was a priority both overseas and in mainland France. _VX
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