A screenshot from a video taken inside the prison showing a fire burning in the hallway of a cellblock.
POINT BLANCHE--Black smoke billowed out of the Point Blanche prison on Wednesday afternoon after inmates set fire to part of the country’s only long-term detention facility.
A video taken inside the prison depicted a group of inmates huddled near a cell while a fire burned in the hallway of their cellblock.
Fire trucks were dispatched to the scene, and a large contingent of law enforcement officers were called to quell the unrest.
Officers of the St. Maarten Police Force KPSM and the Royal Dutch Marechaussee were seen making their way to the prison late Wednesday afternoon, as well as members of the St. Maarten Volunteer Corps VKS. Three unmarked vehicles with black-clad Alpha Team officers were also seen racing down W.J.A. Nisbeth Road (Pondfill road) towards Point Blanche.
Mountain Dove Road, the road leading to the prison, was temporarily closed and several police officers were stationed at the entrance to stop traffic.
Order was restored around 6:00pm and “all prisoners are safe and accounted for,” Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling said in a statement.
Ambulance personnel treated three inmates for minor injuries, a spokesperson for Justice Minister Tackling told this newspaper. There were no reported injuries to law enforcement, according to police spokesman Joe Josepha.
Tackling said she has requested help from the military to secure the prison and maintain order. A detachment of Royal Dutch Marines is currently stationed in St. Maarten.
“The safety of the public, prison staff and detainees remains our top priority. We will not tolerate lawlessness and we are taking all necessary measures to maintain control and uphold the rule of law,” Tackling said.
Tackling and KPSM’s management held an emergency crisis meeting about the prison late Wednesday. Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina reportedly was also in attendance.
The extent of the facility’s damage still must be assessed, but none of the prison’s 80 inmates had been moved to the police cells in Philipsburg and Simpson Bay as of 8:30pm Wednesday, according to Tackling’s spokesperson.
The cause of Wednesday’s unrest could not be confirmed up to press time, but inmates have complained for years about deplorable conditions and a lack of proper facilities at the Point Blanche prison.
The prison has also faced capacity issues, which has led to some prison sentences not being enforced due to a shortage of cells. A prosecutor told this newspaper last year that there are “hundreds” still waiting to be called to prison.
There have also been instances of inmates being released early to free up space, such as last year’s case of a repeat con artist who was released just one day after the court handed him a three-year prison sentence for fraud. This happened even though the judge had ruled that society needed to be protected from the known swindler.
The construction of a new, larger, prison will not be completed until 2028, Tackling told parliament’s justice committee in February. Of its US $52 million price tag, the Dutch government has contributed 30 million euros to the project, with the rest coming from the St. Maarten government.
