St. Maarten Private Eye

I agree wholeheartedly with "Start Here." I cannot understand the mentality of SXM. This is a small island. When someone commits a crime (robs a store, steals a car, holds-up a tourist, etc), there must be any number of friends, family, neighbors and acquaintances that know exactly what's happened, especially when they read about it in the paper the next day. When an individual suddenly has money, a ride or possessions without having worked even one day, why does no one seem to care where these things came from? I am willing to bet that 95% of all thefts, robberies and hold-ups in SXM are committed by the same small group of thugs. By remaining silent, their friends, family and neighbors are just as guilty. I guess they feel that it's okay as long as the money, car or possessions came from a store, a stranger or a tourist. It's very sad that people here don't take crime seriously unless they are the victim. When thugs get away with their crimes - we're all victims. Get serious! These people need to be put away. On an island this small, we should not have to lock our doors or bar our windows to protect what we work hard to earn. J Swift