With 556 police officers patrolling a country half the size of Central Park, everyone thought Monaco was safe
From CNN’s Rupert Neate
(CNN) — Monaco’s reputation as one of the safest countries on earth was shattered just before 9 p.m. local time on Monday night when a bomb exploded in the entrance of one of the city state’s fanciest apartment buildings.
The bomb went off as Ukrainian-born oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev, 58, a resident of the building, stepped out onto the street. He was seriously injured. A woman and a 13-year-old child were also seriously hurt in the first bomb assassination attempt ever recorded on Monaco’s highly-surveilled streets.
Prince Albert II, Monaco’s head of state since 2005 and the son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace (Kelly), described the bombing as “an odious act” as he mobilized Monaco’s police officers and security services to hunt for the attacker, and ordered a step-up in already very regular police street patrols to reassure the country’s wealthy residents.
The police have launched an investigation into “attempted premeditated murder and placing an explosive device in a public area.”
Christophe Mirmand, Monaco’s minister of state, said it was “the first time in history that such an act has taken place in the principality,” and noted that CCTV showed the suspect “had walked around the area several times while waiting for the victims.”
The tiny tax-free city state surrounded by France on three sides and the Mediterranean on the other, prides itself on its high level of safety and security.
There were no homicides, or even attempted murders, last year, according to the principality’s police department. By comparison, in the US there were more than 20,000 homicides – an average of 55-a-day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There were also no armed robberies. However, a record number of overall offenses were registered: 1,055. That is still less than three per day on average, and 38% of them were classed as minor offenses including unintentional injuries, defamation, vandalism, petty theft and fraud.
Crime is low in Monaco because it is one of the most heavily policed places on earth. There are 556 police officers in the principality, which spans just 485 acres, making it the second-smallest independent state in the world after Vatican City and just over half the size of New York’s Central Park (843 acres).
With a population of 38,857, that means there is one police officer for every 70 residents, according to the Monegasque Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.
In the US, there is roughly one police officer for every 400 people, but it varies widely depending on state and city. In Washington DC – the most heavily policed place – there is one police officer for every 185 people. In the UK it is one per 425 people.
In addition to the police force, there are 125 elite military officers from the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (The Prince’s Company of Carabinieri) dedicated to guarding the prince and his family.
Monaco also has a network of 1,387 CCTV and facial recognition cameras monitored 24 hours a day at an “operational command and supervision center.” Random on-the-spot identity checks are regularly carried out, with more than 134,000 taking place last year.
The government is in the process of spending millions increasing security along its northern border with France. There are no physical barriers between Monaco and the neighboring French town of Beausoleil, and it is possible to walk between the two without realizing you have done so.
The suspect in the bombing of the cream colored 1920s Sun’s Palace apartment building on Rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Frolla, was captured on CCTV walking up the street – and into France. The suspect remains at-large despite a manhunt involving both Monegasque and French police.
The Monegasque government lists “a unique level of public safety” as a key reason why so many wealthy people and celebrities have chosen to move to Monaco. Famous faces who have made their homes there include Formula One drivers Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Max Verstappen; tennis players Novak Djokovic and Björn Borg, as well as The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and singer Shirley Bassey.
Nick Edmiston, the founder and chairman of superyacht builder Edmiston & Co, who has lived in Monaco since 1989, said feeling safe and secure was what made the country special.
“You can walk around wearing expensive jewelry and feel safe,” he said. “Many wealthy people are used to always being surrounded by bodyguards but that’s not necessary in Monaco.”
About 35 in every 100 Monaco residents are millionaires, according to research by estate agent Knight Frank.
As well as security, they have also been attracted by the country’s tax structures. There are no taxes on income, wealth, property or capital gains. Companies incorporated in Monaco are also exempt from taxes if most of their business is based in the principality. The only tax that does apply in the principality is VAT (sales tax) which is charged at 20% on most items.
In order to apply for residency, applicants must open a Monaco bank account and deposit at least €500,000 (£440,000).
The government is fielding so many applications from people wishing to move to Monaco, that it spent 2 billion euros ($2.28 billion USD) reclaiming 15 acres of land from the sea upon, which 120 apartments are being marketed for sale at more than $100,000 per sq meter. That’s more expensive than luxury apartment complexes like 15 Central Park West in Manhattan or One Hyde Park in London.
A cool $1 million in Monaco will buy just 16 square meter (172 square feet) of prime residential property, less than a third of the space it would buy in Paris, according to the Knight Frank report.
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