Français
The prefect of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy has unveiled the results of the fight against insecurity in 2025. The results were described as "encouraging" by Attorney General Éric Maurel, who was present alongside Prefect Cyrille Le Vely. During the press conference held in Saint Martin, figures for both islands were discussed.
In Saint Barthélemy, 729 incidents of general crime were recorded, compared to 736 in 2024. Property crimes decreased by 15% and accidents involving bodily injury decreased by 4%. However, there was an increase in the number of cases of domestic violence against women and children. As for crimes against persons, the clearance rate is reported to be 78%, which is well above the "national target" of 45%.
In Saint Martin, 3,245 incidents of general crime were recorded in 2025, compared to 3,358 in 2024. Attempted homicides are officially down 80% and armed robberies are down 30% compared to the previous year. Crimes against property (-14%), crimes against persons (-10%), domestic violence (-12%), and accidents causing bodily injury (-7%) are all down.
Drugs: blaming consumers
Attorney General Éric Maurel emphasized the effectiveness of the work carried out by the gendarmerie and the police. "I've just arrived from Guadeloupe and I can see that a lot is happening," he said. "The gendarmes and police officers are proactive and not passive." For Prefect Le Vely, it is essential that Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy "continue to be safe islands" for both residents and tourists.
Particular emphasis has been placed on the fight against drug trafficking. The state representative thus wished to send "a message" to consumers. "Every time someone buys drugs, they are supporting this criminal activity," said Cyrille Le Vely. "We must increasingly hold consumers accountable. And if we want to change the scale, we will have to rely on our technical resources." And on increased regional cooperation. On this point, Prosecutor Maurel assures us: "A lot of things are going to change." He recalls the announcements made by the Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, during his visit at the end of 2025. The creation of a fully functioning court, the construction of a detention center... "But the elections are coming and what has been announced may be overturned," says the Attorney General. "Elected officials must therefore continue to apply pressure to ensure that this happens. It would be a mistake to think that the battle has been won."
As part of the fight against money laundering, €4.2 million in criminal assets were seized in 2025, sixteen times more than in 2024. More than $25,000 and €54,000 were seized or withheld for customs laundering. A failure to declare €11.5 million in undeclared capital was also noted.
