That Prime Minister Luc Mercelina (General Affairs) has formally asked the Dutch Government's (see related story) support to address long-standing challenges within the Police Force of St. Maarten KPSM facilities is big news. His request, directed to State Secretary for Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations BZK Eddie van Marum, emphasises the importance of improving the infrastructure to ensure public safety, effective policing and adherence to human rights standards across the kingdom.
In his correspondence, the prime minister noted that local police facilities have faced systemic issues for many years, with deficiencies that pre-date both Hurricane Irma and the country’s constitutional transition in 2010. “St. Maarten’s police facilities are not designed or equipped in a manner that allows KPSM to fully meet its responsibilities under national and international law,” he stated. “Addressing these long-standing infrastructural shortcomings is essential to strengthening public safety and ensuring compliance with applicable human rights standards.”
It’s important that Mercelina acknowledged significant assistance previously provided by the Netherlands, particularly following Hurricane Irma, when repairs and improvements were financed through the Trust Fund and the BZK Ministry. However, despite these efforts, the progress reports associated with the Plan of Approach for the police and detention sectors continue to highlight substantial challenges, he added. Considering that a total of more than US $500 million was available for Trust Fund projects, including enhancing emergency services, this seems like a missed opportunity.
The prime minister also noted that the latest progress report again highlights concerns about KPSM’s ability to attract and retain personnel and to operate sustainably under the current conditions.
A critical part of the request concerns the condition of the main police station, which is significantly affected by leaks, mould and structural deterioration, which has also raised compliance concerns under national labour law and European human rights standards. Ongoing repairs funded by the Netherlands are progressing, but independent engineering assessments have indicated that roughly US $6.5 million would be needed to address the holding cells and the full building, according to Mercelina, who considers this a kingdom matter.
It will being interesting to see how the cabinet in The Hague responds. The fact that it has a caretaker status and talks to form a new coalition government following the recent parliamentary elections are proving difficult probably does not help in the short term.
This will likely take some time, so for now and certainly this high season KPSM will simply need to row with the oars they have.
