Sint Maarten : Police general controls

The Police Department, on Monday March 21st 2016, started with general controls on different locations on the island and controls will continue.

The main focus for these controls is to give tickets to those the drivers, who had ample opportunity to have the vehicle road tax paid, but until now have not done so. Approximately 4000 license plates had until Monday March 21st not been paid for and picked up. Over 60 fines were given and over 40 cars were towed thus far. Many drivers were given fines for not having the license plate attached or screwed to the front and rear vehicle. Many of the license plates were simply placed on the dashboard of the vehicle which is also a violation of the Traffic Ordinance.

The police have also noticed that many car rentals rented out their vehicles to persons visiting the island without having the 2015 license plate replaced by the one of 2016. When these vehicles are stopped it causes the visitors some inconvenience and temporary delays. The car rental companies on the Dutch side of the island are the ones responsible for making sure, that the old license plates on their vehicles are replaced by new ones. The police are sending a stern massage to all car rental companies, that they should make sure that all of their vehicles registered on the Dutch side carry a 2016 license plate.

The search for the escape prisoner Kathron “CUCHI” Fortune is also ongoing as part of the controls. Police are busy handing out the “WANTED” flyers of this fugitive which is offering a reward of Nafls. 5000, – for information which leads to his capture. This “WANTED” flyer can also be seen on most electronic build boards situated at different locations on the island. The Justice Department continues to seek assistance from anyone in the community on either side of the island who have information concerning the “where about” of this fugitive to call the authorities immediately.

Another suspect arrested

A second suspect with carrying the initials A.D.H. (17)and involved in the investigation concerning the school brawl in Reward and Sint Peters area, during which several students were stabbed, was arrested on Monday March 21st. This suspect also filed criminal charges and was held for questioning. The first suspect that was arrested was released by the Judge of Instruction. More arrests in this case are not to be excluded as the investigation continues.