Crime and delinquency: a mixed first half of the year in Saint Martin

On 31 July, at a press conference, Prefect Cyrille Le Vély, accompanied by his chief of staff, Marie-Hildegarde Chauveau, and joined by the Public Prosecutor for Basse-Terre, Stéphanie Bazart, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Nicole Noilhetas, and representatives of the security forces, provided an update on crime and delinquency for the first half of 2026. Overall, law enforcement activity remains sustained, with results deemed encouraging in several areas but falling short when it comes to armed robberies, a problem particularly prevalent in Saint Martin.

Drug and human trafficking: improving results

The fight against drug trafficking is a national and local priority. Thirty-six raids on drug dealing hotspots were carried out during the first half of the year, compared with 26 for the whole of 2025. These operations aim to drastically reduce the number of identified drug dealing hotspots across the territory. In total, 309 offences relating to drug use were recorded, twice as many as in the previous year.  Meanwhile, the number of drug trafficking rings dismantled rose by 57 per cent in Saint-Martin. These results are largely due to an increased police presence on the streets. Over a six-month period, 21,700 hours of policing were recorded, representing a 4 per cent increase, a quarter of which took place at night. The results are also positive in the fight against illegal immigration and human trafficking. The compliance rate for orders to leave French territory (OQTF) stands at 64 per cent, compared with a national average of 10 per cent. The number of OQTFs issued has risen by 36 per cent, whilst the number of proceedings initiated for aiding unauthorised residence has tripled.

Rise in offences against property and persons

Whilst only one homicide was recorded during the first half of the year, on 20 June, compared with six in 2025, the figures are, however, less encouraging regarding offences against persons and property, particularly armed robberies (VAMA), the number of which has returned to a level close to that of 2024. More broadly, intentional assaults (+8 per cent) rose from 518 in the first half of 2025 to 563 in 2026. Property offences, meanwhile, totalled 753 incidents, compared with 667 in 2025. Domestic violence has also risen by 1.4 per cent. However, the primary concern remains attacks on public transport: 78 have already been recorded, with a peak between March and May. Whilst the majority are still committed by men under the age of thirty from priority neighbourhoods under the urban policy, the modus operandi is changing. Whilst in 2025 the majority of incidents were committed at night, robberies now take place at all hours, sometimes in broad daylight, and across all neighbourhoods. During the tourist season, tourists are the main targets, whilst outside the season it is shops that bear the brunt. For the Prefect, curbing this phenomenon is one of the main challenges for the second half of the year.

A tougher criminal response

The criminal justice response is intended to be firm, with suspects being brought before a court almost without exception. There were 44 summary trials in the first half of the year, compared with 75 throughout the whole of 2025. Judicial activity is set to be stepped up from 1 September with the arrival of a magistrate and an investigating judge. Their presence should enable closer monitoring of investigations carried out by the security forces. For its part, the gendarmerie regularly adapts its operational arrangements to strengthen its capacity for deterrence and arrest. Nevertheless, judicial investigations can still take a long time before the perpetrators are identified. Since the start of the year, 22 suspected perpetrators have been arrested.

Is CCTV the answer?

For Marie-Hildegarde Chauveau, the expansion of CCTV surveillance could be one of the solutions to this phenomenon, which is difficult to predict. In Saint-Barthélemy, where around 400 cameras have been installed, no armed robberies were recorded in the first half of the year. At a press conference in January 2025, President Mussington announced the installation of cameras in the first quarter in Marigot, Grand Case and Oyster Pond, with coverage due to be extended in June 2025 to all strategic locations requiring surveillance, such as border areas and then other neighbourhoods. On 30 January 2025, the Executive Council awarded the two lots of the contract for a total of €4.4 million. To date, no details have been provided on the progress of the project, nor on the installation of the Urban Surveillance Centre, which was also announced for June 2025. In the meantime, the Prefect has announced a step-up in checks, whilst emphasising the need for long-term measures. The State and the Local Authority have allocated €1 million to urban policy. Several meetings have also been organised with associations from the various neighbourhoods, which play a vital role in preventing crime. The Prefect has also indicated that he will now meet with victims of armed robberies who wish to do so.

Preventing violence starting in schools

In schools, incidents of violence or bullying are recorded in a register, but as this is based on self-reporting … some incidents therefore go unreported. 
During the 2025–2026 school year, 113 incidents of violence were reported, 58 of which occurred in primary schools. A plan to combat all forms of violence is being rolled out in schools. For Deputy Vice-Chancellor Nicole Noilhetas, taking action from the earliest stages of schooling is a key way of preventing delinquency. At the start of the new term, checks around school premises will continue, including bag searches. These searches may also be carried out on lockers inside schools at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the headteacher. The gendarmerie intends to focus its efforts on lower secondary schools, as prevention must begin with the youngest pupils.