SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - In the State of Law Enforcement 2025, the Council outlines the most important overarching developments within law enforcement. The Council does this for the Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.
The State of Law Enforcement for Sint Maarten was presented to the Minister of Justice and the Parliament of Sint Maarten at the end of April. From the perspective of cooperation and mutual obligations, topics such as the safeguarding of human rights, forensic care, data protection, and the citizen’s perspective are discussed. In addition, the Council reflects on its findings, activities, and exercising its authority to issue notifications regarding human rights compliance.
Citizen Perspective
Law enforcement and the administration of justice are among the government’s core tasks for protecting the safety of individual citizens and society as a whole. In doing so, significant resources may be deployed and measures taken that have a profound impact on citizens.
The citizen’s perspective means that citizens must be able to trust that the justice system acts fairly and adheres to the rules; if this is not the case, organizations must identify and correct such issues. The Council’s inspections monitor this compliance and, where necessary, make recommendations for improvement.
Safeguarding human rights
The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands forms the framework for the core values of the democratic constitutional state. Each of the countries within the Kingdom is independently responsible for ensuring the realization of human rights, legal certainty, and good governance, while the Kingdom as a whole is responsible for safeguarding these values.
This safeguarding function can be achieved through the use of instruments by the Kingdom Government. Another possibility is more intensive cooperation between the countries.
Notification to Parliament and the Council of Ministers
The Council has been inspecting the prison system in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom since 2013. Furthermore, at the request of the JVO, the Council has been monitoring the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) for over 10 years.
The lack of (partial) follow-up (on some of the recommendations) has been a recurring issue for years. In June 2025, the Council sounded the alarm. For the first time in its history, it exercised its authority to issue a notification pursuant to Article 32 of the Kingdom Act Law Enforcement Council to the Parliament of Sint Maarten as well as the Kingdom Council of Ministers.
The Council asserts that the serious, life-threatening crisis (riot and fire) at the Point Blanche prison in May 2025 was in part caused by years of structural negligence and the systematic failure to follow up on its recommendations.
It urges a decisive, comprehensive approach with measures to guarantee the safety and human rights of everyone in the prison. It also calls on those responsible to maintain their focus on the still vulnerable and high-risk detention conditions.
A solution-oriented approach for Law Enforcement in Sint Maarten
To ensure that law enforcement functions properly in a democratic constitutional state and to safeguard fundamental rights, legal certainty, and good governance, multiple actions are required.
This calls for a holistic and broad government strategy involving -country-transcending cooperation, shared responsibility for persistent structural problems, and clear prioritization. The Council believes that the best approach to a solution lies in more intensive cooperation within and between the countries.
Submission of report and response
As in previous States, the Council once again highlights the responsibilities of Parliament as well as the Minister of Justice. This is because, for many years, the Council’s reports on Sint Maarten have not been submitted to Parliament with a response or have not been submitted consistently in accordance with the Kingdom Act Law Enforcement Council.
Resilience of justice personnel
The Council also reiterates its call to give specific attention to the physical and mental resilience of justice personnel. Employees work day and night to ensure everyone’s safety. This is despite the fact that the necessary conditions are often not met, or the resources required to safely carry out their work are not made available.
The Council notes that, even in 2025, employees within the justice system continue to dedicate themselves daily to a safer society and expresses its gratitude for this.
Council Website
The States of Law Enforcement for Sint Maarten 2025 (available in Dutch and English with an infographic), Caribbean Netherlands 2025, and Curaçao 2025, as well as all other Council publications, are available digitally on the Council’s website: https://www.raadrh.com/
