Departing Chairman of the Council on Law Enforcement Franklyn Richards minced no words in his farewell address (see Wednesday paper). He said St. Maarten is lagging behind the other Dutch Caribbean territories, over which the council but also other entities have expressed concern.
The enormous impact of Hurricane Irma did lead to a new “build back better” sentiment and the former lt. governor is convinced the current state of affairs also offers opportunities for the future. He mentioned cooperation between the local police force and that of the Netherlands as example of what is possible.
Of the 350 recommendations made by the council since 2012, about half were followed to greater or lesser extent. This was particularly the case where organisations were able to implement the proposals themselves.
Where local authorities were also required to do so, the outcome was depressingly different. The latter is a clear indication that the involvement of government often makes things more difficult.
The council believes cooperation within the kingdom is the key to a hopeful future, but there must be willingness on both sides of the Atlantic. “Figures don’t lie. It is important that politicians on this island also become aware of this and start listening to the professionals in the field,” added Richards.
There is a lack of policy support and Parliament has not addressed government on the fact that there is no or little consideration for improvements either. Several of the council’s reports were not even presented to the legislature yet.
“Without the full attention of the government, the availability and allocations of resources, policy-making and awareness, law enforcement cannot be guaranteed. I’m strongly of the opinion that St. Maarten should mainly seek cooperation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, more so when seeing the current financial situation St. Maarten finds itself in.
“St. Maarten lacks the necessary resources for better construction and execution of law enforcement, which is desperately needed to safeguard its people particularly after the passage of Hurricane Irma,” the outgoing chairman stated.
His message speaks for itself. Justice Minister Cornelius de Weever has his work cut out for him.
