jeepers said:It appears the rules are different on the French side with the gendarmes. I believe all of the gun violence & robberies/attempted robberies in the past few months are on the dutch side of the island. I am happy for the gendarmes presence on the French side! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />
I don't think there's much difference in the way the Dutch police and the French police operate. They both focus primarily on high risk areas on both sides, namely Philipsburg, Simpson Bay, Marigot and Grand Case that most people visit and where $$$ is spent in shops, restaurants and Casinos.
Furthermore, I'm not sure we can differentiate between criminality on the Dutch side vs. the French side. There's criminality on both sides and crossing the border is purely symbolic. I've never felt safer on one side than on the other.
