Crime in St. Martin

Is it as bad as we have been reading about? One message board was describing armed robberies in broad daylight at Orient Beach! Has us a little apprehensive to be honest. Are we safe or should we be watching over our shoulder the whole time?

Is it as bad as we have been reading about? One message board was describing armed robberies in broad daylight at Orient Beach! Has us a little apprehensive to be honest. Are we safe or should we be watching over our shoulder the whole time?

Just be smart about your visit. If you have a rental car, don't lock valuables in it (that includes the trunk). There are people who regularly pry open trunks to get at wallets, cameras and other valuables.

Also, don't presume that if you have a wallet that it will be safe in your bag while you are away from your beach chair. There are snatch & go type thefts on the beach regularly.

Generally, it is a pretty safe place during the daytime.

We were just at Orient Beach this past December and had a wonderful time! Our driver told us that the main crime there was people stealing cars and just driving them around the island - they can't get too far! We felt perfectly safe, but one of us always stayed with our beach bag close by. The only negative thing we saw were a lot of locals coming up to us to buy their jewelry, CD's, etc. We just said a polite no thanks and they went away. Hope you go and have a great time! We want to go back in July.:)

Cruise industry concerned about escalating crime here http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k130/port130.html

St. Maarten loses its image as "The Friendly Island" because of attacks on tourists, http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/h44/edit44.html

The real truth about crime on St. Maarten http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k151/truth151.html

Crime Wave Affects Potential Visitors

http://news.caribseek.com/set-up/exec/view.cgi?archive=77&num=18712

Leta Lynn Cordes

http://cbs2.com/video/?id=57574@kcbs.dayport.com

Angelique Chauvire http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/j017/murder017.html

Womans body found brutally murdered - 3rd June 2006

http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/4118

Gangs - 14th July 2007 - Bloods and Crisps http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11239

Does Justice Take a Holiday in Caribbean?http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1884629&page=1

Video gay bashing http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/19/world/main1517044.shtml

St. Maarten police refuse to investigate gay-bashing of the senior producer of CBS Newshttp://www.americablog.com/2006/04/st-maarten-police-refuse-to.html

Exotic dancer’ found murdered in brothel http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/j141/Murder141.html

Hungarian stabbed and robbed of cash http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k217/stab217.html

Girl from Anguilla robbed of jewellery http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k208/jewel208.html

37 crimes reported last week http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k202/crimes202.html

Woman robbed by four armed bandits http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k202/robbery202.html

More robberies reported this year, says Holiday http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k177/rob177.html

Police seek to identify corpse found in Belair http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k176/missing176.html

Shallow grave victim was killed violently http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k168/autopsy168.html

Crime worrisome, more http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k149/crime149.html

Woman attacked, robbed near Great Bay Hotel http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k147/attack147.html

Young men found guilty of robbing tourist couple http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k131/robbery131.html

Maintaining the law here is a farce http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k117/wodc117.html

Armed robbery at Atrium Hotel http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11839

Bandits tie up women during armed robbery, 13 September 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11833

Man attacked 13 September 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11829

Man, women robbed in Oyster Pond home http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11849

Three men robbed in Pointe Blanche http://news.caribseek.com/set-up/exec/view.cgi?archive=142&num=55211

Police continue to search for jewellery store robbers Oyster Bay Beach Resort http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k073/jewel073.html

Spate of robberies - 8th August 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11571

Police trying to match photos with facial characteristics of skeleton http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k061/bones061.html

Police and doctor view body found in Salt Pond http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k053/man053.html

Woman robbed of car on Walter Nisbeth Road http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k052/robbed052.html

Man found dead in Great Salt Pond http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k052/man052.html

Remains found in Guana Bay were of woman who was killedhttp://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k051/skeleton051.html

Two armed robberies wedenesday morning 14Th July 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11243

Oysterpond robbery - 13th July 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11236

Armed robbery suspect dies after lungs collapse http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k049/lungs049.html

Rash of armed robberies, break-ins http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11244

60 yr old robbed - 5th July 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/10995

Robbery in Pelican - 5th July 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11004

Robberies continue - 5th July 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11018

Woman injured in robbery - 3rd July 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11022

Attempted armed robbery - 27th June 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/10922

Six held, weapons found after territorial gang war http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k031/fight031.html

Robbery suspects arrested - 21st June 2007 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/10866

Suspected mastermind in Suarez García robbery held - 13 February 2006 http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/j112/flem112.html

Pic Paradise crime - 23rd February 2008 http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/12282

Barbara talks http://barcann.livejournal.com/39316.html

St. Maarten? Never again.. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147346-i222-k1022883-St_Maarten_Never_again-St_Maarten_St_Martin.html

Boycott Future Travel to St. Maarten Until Justice Is Served http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/294432000

Keep track and visit www.thedailyherald.com for more!

Beau? Is that you?

Geez..... looks like he(?) is really the bearer of bad news.....:rolleyes:

Wow, someone has done their research! Egads! LOL

We are headed to SM in September, I hope we survive it!:D ;) :eek:

Wow, someone has done their research! Egads! LOL

We are headed to SM in September, I hope we survive it!:D ;) :eek:

I hope you survive too! Since we aren't going until October, maybe you can let us know if you made it!! :D

Damn!!!! I have been to St. Martin/St. Marteen 5 times!!! I didn't know it was that dangerous!! Once we went for a whole week and made it back with nothing but great memories and great new friends!!!

Bottom line is, there is no "safe" place left on the earth. Just use common sense and you should make it back ok!

"Common sense" apparently is in short supply. Bottom line is St. Martin is not as dangerous as Jamaica, but not as safe as Cozumel. Don't walk alone, and don't act like a dumb ass tourist big shot with lots of cash. Lots of wouldbe criminals are put off by the fact that you see them in the first place, so carry flashlights (really bright ones) at night, and don't forget your mace!!

Criminals thrive in a society where they are reinforced by easy victims. The more difficult we make it, the less inclined they are to strike. Of course, without any real law enforcement, they have less of an incentive to avoid actually murdering one of us, but I am referring only to the very extreme of the criminal element in SXM.. Bottom line is most (MOST) violent crime is between locals, and the remainder is theft, and B&A..

If SXM gains its independence and becomes its own soverign nation, you may see it get better (if both sides unite), or worse (if France and The Netherlands funding disappears, and no unity).

This whole string of links impresses me as being alarmist at best and intentionally harmful to St. Maarten at worst. We have more and worse crime here in our little town of 13,000. If you are really worried about crime, you can stay holed up in your home with bars on all the windows and locked gates on the doors. The primary cause of death is life. The OP needs to get one.

Reasonably prudent people will be no more likely to have a bad experience in St. Maarten than they will in any tourist laden destination. Incidentally, for the person who posted claiming Cozumel is a safer destination, both our DD and her husband and a co-worker had their rooms robbed while staying in Cozumel. Like I said, reasonable levels for prudence are necessary everywhere these days.

Doc

Another jewellery store hit by bandits in daylight heist http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k257/heist257.html

Kinda curious as to why all your posts are negative commentary about St. Martin. :confused: I've also heard that you're not safe in Germany, or NYC, or Chicago, or Toronto, or Tokyo, or (enter any city name here) ... just about anywhere that crime happens, which is pretty well everywhere. Nowhere is completely safe.

i was in st maarten in july and i am very vigilant and we still had an incident and thank god i had my drivers door and passenger door locked or the out come would have been very different. i was driving up the road with my little putt putt they give you and a car passed me, further up the road that same car was stopped in my lane with the hood up so i had to slow down, in the meantime there was a kid walking on the side of the road with a backpack and all i heard was the door handle hit the car and a loud noise and my husband said floor it, the kid ran to the passenger door and tried to open it and when he couldnt he hit the car but my husband told me after the kid pointed a gun at him and said open the door, so yes be careful, i had read a lot on traveltalk online and good thing i listened, just be careful i heard of a few more incidences from people staying at the resort we were at especially around the casinos at night and this happened to us in the afternoon broad daylight

Locals will never talk negative in front of a tourist. The island really was a Friendly Island 30 year's ago. It all has changed!

Turism is the islands only income source and bad news are not wanted!

If you do some reasearch you discover the truth!

The island is no pardise. Beyond the sunny sky, the turquoise water and colours is danger. Robbery's arte a daily occurance! Even in Philipsburg.

Gangs - 14th July 2007 - Bloods and Crisps http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/11239

Reinforcements coming to deal with armed robberies

http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k147/stein147.html

Prejudice in paradise

Caribbean travelers may face anti-gay violence, protests

http://www.southernvoice.com/2006/5-26/news/worldnews/islandtravel.cfm

i was just in st. maarten 2 weeks ago while on a cruise and i would never have known so much crime takes place! my friend and i went to orient beach..i went up to the bar for a good while and my friend for some reason wandered away from our chairs. our bags sat there for probably 30 minutes unsupervised and nothing was taken! furthermore, i thought all of the locals were more than nice. i definately wouldn't worry about it!

The primary cause of death is life. The OP needs to get one.

Doc

You are kidding, right? Otherwise, that was seriously rude. The OP simply asked a question. So those coming to these forums to ask questions are now told to get a life?! Sheesh.

This whole string of links impresses me as being alarmist at best and intentionally harmful to St. Maarten at worst. We have more and worse crime here in our little town of 13,000. If you are really worried about crime, you can stay holed up in your home with bars on all the windows and locked gates on the doors. The primary cause of death is life. The OP needs to get one.

Reasonably prudent people will be no more likely to have a bad experience in St. Maarten than they will in any tourist laden destination. Incidentally, for the person who posted claiming Cozumel is a safer destination, both our DD and her husband and a co-worker had their rooms robbed while staying in Cozumel. Like I said, reasonable levels for prudence are necessary everywhere these days.

 

Doc

Sorry you feel your comments were necessary. I live in a city that is much larger than yours and we certainly have our share of violent crime. Because of that, we know where to go and where not to go to avoid being victims ourselves.

Prudent and reasonable? I would think researching and asking questions before we go would definitely be considered prudent and reasonable!

I've never been on a cruise but I stumbled upon this forum whilst doing a Google search about Angelique Chauvire - the girl who was murdered opposite my home of five months. I had never marched for anything before but I marched for Angelique. I was now searching the internet to see if, more than a year on, there was any progress on solving her case. Of course not. Not a mention of it anywhere.

I realise that as daytrippers during high season, your chances of being targets of crime are small in comparison to those of us who live and work on the island for a season or more. Not that this is a reason to be less vigilant.

I have stayed alone for lengthy time periods (as a young female) in some of the most dangerous places in the world (many countries in West Africa, Rio de Janeiro, run down suburbs of Paris and London) but the fear that I experienced in SXM - even when accompanied by a native islander - was equal and higher at times than any fear I have felt elsewhere.

I don't want to put people off visiting the island - I have since been back once myself - but I want the governments of these two territories to realise that there is such a thing as moral and ethical tourism. We need to be vocal about the fact that this issue makes us think twice about returning to spend our cash on SXM in the future.

I was in St. Martin/St. Maarten last week. I have never seen so many security guards in my life! (especially the Dutch side) There was one outside of every store on Front Street and Back Street and many on the pier. My husband and I got a little turned around walking, so we wandered off the beaten path, but I never felt threatened. Naive maybe, but I enjoyed my time there.

The last time we stayed on St. Martin, in 2002?, I remembered seeing street police at night in Gran Case. But I don't remember seeing security police outside the stores on Front Street, especially in the daytime. I still consider it one of the safer places in the Caribbean.

We will be in SXM this November, on the Indy TA and DW intends to spend time on Front Street helping the local economy. We will check that out.