PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — With the festivities for Carnival 2016 that came to an end on Tuesday, May 3, with a closing jump-up and the burning of King Momo at the Festival Village, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the KPSM are extending sincere words of gratitude to the entire community and visitors to the island for their cooperation and improved behavior over this period. Even though the Carnival period did not go incident-free, there are some signs of improvement in comparison to last year.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office and the KPSM particularly want to sincerely thank the President of the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation Mr. Michael Granger and his staff for the cooperation they have given, and congratulate them for a job well done. The Prosecutor’s Office and KPSM both are of the opinion that St. Maarten’s Carnival has grown steadily over the last few years. If this continues, this event will most likely become one of the most popular public celebrations in this region and would be something we all should be very proud of.
In addition, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and KPSM are giving the public a breakdown on the statistics for Carnival 2016. These statistics are based on how many times an offence mentioned on the list for “Conditional Dismissal“ was violated, and dealt with officially by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and KPSM. “Public intoxication” and “the distribution of alcohol to a person under the age of 18 years old” were also added to the list of offences this year. Fines that had to be paid for the violation of any of these offences have risen by 25% for Carnival 2016.
General Police Ordinance
- Not following commands by a police officer (art 3.)
- Disturbing the parade (art. 4)
- Fighting in public (Not ill-treatment art 24 sub b)
- Removing, replacing or taking down of a police barricade (art.24 sub c)
- Throwing of bottles (art.25)
Weapons Ordinance
- Possession of a weapon (not a fire-arm) or an object to be used as such (art. 1)
Penal Code
- Resisting arrest (art. 2:133)
- Not adhering to an order given by a police officer (art. 2:137)
- Insulting a police officer on duty (art. 2:223 or art 2:224)
- Verbal threat (not group/gang-related) (art. 2:255)
- Ill-treatment (art. 2:334)
- Destruction of property (art. 2:334)
- Public intoxication (art. 3:4)
- Distribution of alcohol to persons under the age of 18 (art. 3:53)
Drugs Ordinance
- Possession of cocaine up to 3 grams (art. 3 section 1 sub c)
- Possession of cocaine more than 3 grams, but less or equivalent to 5 grams (art. 3 section 1 sub c)
- Possession of marijuana 5-20 grams (art. 4 section 1 sub b)
- Possession of marijuana more than 20 grams, but less than or equal to 30 grams (art. 4 section 1 sub b)
- Possession of 6-10 XTC pills (art. 3 section 1 sub c)
Persons arrested: 34
Persons placed in custody: 4
Transactions made: 27
Minors arrested: 6
Illegal persons arrested: 1
The total amount collected in fines is NAf. 14,161.39 or US $7,867.44.
