St. Maarten Private Eye

There is a possibility that these robberies, or at least some of them, could have been prevented IF the police had agreed to a Front Street merchants' plan to hire private security.

About a year ago, merchants had a plan ready to go. They told the police about it. The private security patrols would alert police when help was needed.

Police had two responses: 1) don't count on us to respond if your security patrols call us, and 2) why don't you pay us instead?

Government's job is to protect the people and pay the police. It's reasonable that both SHOULD happen but obviously now "protecting the people" isn't happening. Each of us in the course of a month hears of someone we or friends know who is attacked, robbed, has their home or business broken into, etc. Then of course there are the occasional murders and permanent disappearances.

And when private businessmen offer to help Government by adding private security, that is a good thing though in an ideal world it shouldn't be necessary.

But the police say "we won't come if they call."

With friends like that, who needs enemies? With arrogance like that, no wonder the police never get any better.