Delinquency / Crime: true and false ideas

Is the number of homicides on the rise?

Yes and no If you compare the number of homicides committed this year to the number committed last year at the same time, it is actually on the rise. And it has even doubled: six against three. Four of these six homicides were committed within a two-month period, and three in a ten-day period - two homicides were linked.

But it’s only at the end of the year that the authorities will be able to say whether the number of homicides is increasing in Saint Martin or not. For the moment, it has been in the average for a few years. Between eight and ten homicides are committed every year in Saint Martin.

Is there a strong feeling of insecurity?

Yes Whenever a serious crime is committed, the feeling of insecurity increases. The three homicides committed between July 2 and 13 have proven it once again. The reactions of the public were very strong on the social networks.

For example, this same feeling of insecurity was observed after a jewellery store was robbed on the Marina Royale at the end of 2015. The population feels they're in danger. The fear is reinforced by the fact that these crimes were committed in the daytime and on the street, in places that people usually frequent on a daily basis. If they had been committed in isolated locations, the public opinion's reaction would be different.

Is delinquency on the rise?

No When asked about this by the media following the Wendy case, the Basse-Terre Public Prosecutor indicated that "crime was down by 10% in 2015". Armed robberies - the main terror in recent years- "dropped by 50% in 2015", he said; approximately 130 were registered in 2014.

In October 2015, the number of burglaries was however on the rise, indicated the authorities during a press conference on delinquency.

Since then, no other assessment has been communicated.

Is delinquency high in Saint Martin?

Yes Even if a downward trend has been observed, the delinquency rate remains very high in comparison with those of other French territories. The rate of armed robberies is 3.5 per 1000 inhabitants in Saint Martin against 0.2 nationwide and 0.8 in the overseas territories according to the Interior ministry figures. In French Guiana, it’s 2.7 and 1.8 in Guadeloupe. Saint Martin has the highest rate.

Another verdict concerning car theft with a rate of 9.2 per 1000 inhabitants against 2.6 nationwide and 2.5 in the overseas territories.

Finally, a third record for unarmed violence committed within the family sphere with a rate of 4.4 per 1000 inhabitants against 1.4 nationwide and 2.4 in the overseas territories.

It should be noted that the figures given nationally are only an average, which include very low delinquency statistics (those for example of the Lozère, Creuse or Ardeche departments) and very high statistics (Bouches du Rhone, Paris). It would, therefore, be more pertinent to compare the figures of Saint Martin with those of a similar department in terms of violence.

Nevertheless, delinquency is much higher overseas than it is in the mainland.

In the Caribbean, is Saint Martin really a dangerous island, destination?

No Many tourists, mainly Americans, have said on the social networks that they were shocked by "the increased violence" and that because of "this high crime rate, they will not return to Saint-Martin". Here too, things need to be put into perspective. Saint Martin is not Acapulco, "a showcase for tourism in Mexico which has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world".

According to the UNODC, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Jamaica has the highest homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants (52.2 with 1,423 homicides) in the Caribbean, before the United States Virgin Islands (39.2 with 43 homicides), Saint-Eustatius (38.2 with 20 homicides), Trinidad and Tobago (35.2 with 472 homicides) and the Bahamas (27.4 with 94 homicides). In this ranking, Saint-Martin alone is not mentioned but Guadeloupe is with a rate of 7 per 100,000 inhabitants and 32 homicides.