“Overseas territories are little bits of France that we tend to forget,” says Maxime Wintzer, lieutenant colonel of the gendarmerie, who expressed the wish at this stage of his career to go “serve” there. “The Overseas Territories are exceptional frameworks. These territories each have their own culture and in our approach to security, we must take this into account, ”he said.
Reconciling public tranquility and security with the local culture, such is the challenge that the lieutenant-colonel will take up over the next few years with his assistants, Captains Thierry Vansuypeene and François Deneufgermain, also recently appointed to Saint-Martin.
To do this, one of the priorities is to “reconnect” with the population. "When traffic was prohibited on the Sandy Ground bridge and we were based in Nettle Bay, we took the opportunity to meet the population, to discuss with people", confides the lieutenant colonel who has already given the order to reinforce the pedestrian patrols in all the districts. He also wants to involve the Northern Islands company on social networks by creating a Facebook page for him.
Another mission that the lieutenant colonel has set for himself, is to change the image of the territory in terms of insecurity. “When I heard that I was going to Saint-Martin, I read what was said on the island and I was shocked by all the negative comments from tourists,” he says. Precisely by the testimonies of people who have been victims of robbery or other violent snatching thefts. "We must lower this tension and allow residents and tourists to find some peace of mind," he agrees. (soualigapost.com)
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