POINTE BLANCHE--The backlash from recent three robberies/attacks committed against Carnival Corporation cruise ship passengers has begun with cruise line officials labelling the country's crime situation as being "commonplace."
Carnival Corporation Vice President Caribbean Relations Gordon Buck addressed the two crimes involving cruise passengers of Carnival Victory that occurred on Saturday in an e-mail to St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies CEO Mark Mingo on Monday.
This was the first time a senior cruise official such as Buck had addressed the crime situation in the country. Mingo told The Daily Herald this was all the more reason for worry about the loss of cruise calls. He again stressed the importance of government addressing crime before it was too late and the destination's reputation was damaged further.
Buck stated in his e-mail: "Mark [Mingo], I am sure that you understand that criminal activity at St. Maarten is unfortunately becoming commonplace and in conversation with Michele Paige of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, we feel it prudent to open discussion addressing our concerns with Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger."
Heyliger has been informed of the incidents and is looking into the combating of crime.
In one of the two cases, a cruise passenger had his personal effects stolen from a rental car while visiting the French side on Saturday. "To make matters worse, the rental car company charged the victim for damage sustained to the vehicle resulting from the break-in," Buck stated in the e-mail.
Addressing the attempted robbery that occurred on the same day, but on the Dutch side, Buck said, "Although the victim was able to fight off the attackers, she did sustain injury when pushed to the ground by the two male perpetrators, which is quite alarming."
Mingo said St. Maarten/St. Martin was seen as one destination by cruise lines and any crime, no matter where it occurred, became an issue for the Harbour Group to address. To this end, he also called on government to seek solutions with the French side to combat crime.
"This is no longer a minor matter regarding sporadic occurrence of crime against cruise passengers. If left unaddressed, the country stands to lose its major source of income," Mingo said. "A reduction in revenues would eventually lead to the Harbour defaulting on its financial obligations to service its loans. Similarly, other businesses in Philipsburg and elsewhere would be faced with the same dilemma."
The loss of cruise ships would mean a decline in revenues for the Harbour Group and for businesses across the island. "If we allow the crime to continue unchecked, we will lose business and the cycle will lead to more crime because people don't have jobs," Mingo said.
The Harbour Group already contributes to crime fighting with some NAf. 1 million given annually to help fund the Soualiga Patrol (tourist police).
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