A report in today’s paper that the police have received 80 bulletproof vests is most welcome. With local crime becoming increasingly violent, law enforcement officials too need better protection.
The vests are said to be custom-made, of very strong lightweight material and suitable to wear under the uniform. The latter can be helpful, for example when patrolling tourist-sensitive areas without creating the undesired impression of a war zone.
The temporary vests were returned and stored for use when needed. Some of them turned out to be quite small and therefore uncomfortable, while they did not cover the entire upper body to provide the intended safety.
The handing-over ceremony was held in the company of the president of NAPB, which together with the other union representing police personnel ABVO had just given authorities 72 hours to arrange certain pending matters for members of the Police Force (see Saturday edition). Obviously, one is not directly related to the other, but some of the outstanding problems certainly have to do with the officers’ wellbeing.
After all, the demands include fixing the insurance and pension, in addition to receiving their function books and salary scales so they know where they stand career-wise. Mind you, these are not extraordinary requests, but things that actually should be in place already.
At the same time, the continued budget constraints have been a big drawback for government in dealing with the structural lack of resources and personnel in the judicial field. Former Justice Minister Dennis Richardson experienced that firsthand, while things aren’t expected to be much different for his interim successor, Acting Justice Minister Richard Gibson.
Coincidentally, on Thursday the Council of State in the Netherlands will rule on a request by St. Maarten to suspend the financial instruction stating the country cannot borrow to make capital investments. This is hampering much-needed improvements at the Pointe Blanche prison and the Tax Office, but also the Police Force.
Nevertheless, one can understand that the “men and women in blue” are becoming impatient, not in the least because of the dangerous nature of their job. The 72-hour ultimatum ends today, Monday, but truth be told it would not be very reasonable to expect everything has been taken care of meanwhile, also considering the weekend.
What’s important is for the new minister to show he’s serious about addressing these issues promptly and at the same time refrain from promises that can’t be kept. That may not be as simple as it sounds, but then, nobody said it would be easy.
