GREAT BAY--Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling says the Dutch language requirement remains one of the biggest obstacles facing police recruitment in St. Maarten, adding another challenge to efforts to strengthen a force already dealing with a significant personnel shortage.
Tackling made the statement while responding to Members of Parliament during the continuation of the Central Committee meeting on the draft 2027 national budget. She explained that becoming a fully trained police officer requires entry into a two-year training program at MBO level 4, with proficiency in Dutch forming an important part of the requirements.
According to the Minister, the Dutch-language level has proven particularly difficult for some potential recruits in St. Maarten, where English is widely used in daily life and education. She identified language as one of the reasons the pool of candidates who can successfully enter and complete police training remains limited.
The issue prompted a follow-up from Member of Parliament Veronica Jansen-Webster, who asked the Minister whether, given the recruitment difficulty being created by Dutch, English could be used instead. Tackling is expected to address that question when she returns to Parliament with additional answers.
The language problem is only one part of a wider recruitment challenge confronting the Police Force of St. Maarten, KPSM. Tackling told Parliament that the force has a staffing shortage of approximately 47.7 percent, with vacancies affecting leadership, specialist, operational and support positions.
The shortage has become serious enough that overtime is now relied upon across much of the force to maintain basic operations. Tackling told Parliament that when justice services are operating at only part of their approved staffing level but are still required to maintain 24-hour coverage, the remaining gap is often filled through overtime.
Recruitment, however, cannot quickly solve the problem.
The current police training system allows only limited annual intake. Tackling said the police academy can provide one class per year that is shared with other law enforcement partners, while becoming a fully armed police officer requires approximately two years of basic training.
The most recent recruitment results also illustrate how narrow the pipeline has become. Tackling said only seven candidates qualified in one recent intake and five in another.
She has also pointed out that all law enforcement agencies are drawing recruits from the same limited pool, making competition for suitable candidates even more difficult.
Tackling told Parliament that seven recruits are expected to complete their training and join KPSM at the beginning of 2027, while five additional St. Maarten recruits are scheduled to enter a combined training class.
At the same time, attrition continues to affect the Justice Ministry. Retirements and resignations mean that new recruitment does not automatically translate into a net increase in staffing, particularly when the number of incoming officers remains small.
The Minister has therefore cautioned that even if additional funding is made available, St. Maarten cannot immediately produce large numbers of trained police officers. Training capacity, recruitment standards, the time required to complete the academy and the number of suitable applicants all limit how quickly the force can grow.
That reality has also pushed the Ministry toward alternative approaches. Tackling has outlined plans for a tourist police pilot program with shorter training and a narrower mandate than regular police officers. She said the Dutch-language entry level for that training would be lower, in part to attract a broader pool of candidates.
The tourist police would not handle regular emergency police duties such as 911 calls. Instead, they would focus on prevention, public assistance and visible patrols in busy tourism areas, with the intention of freeing fully trained police officers to concentrate on high-impact crime and other core duties.
Tackling has also linked technology to the staffing challenge, telling Parliament that Justice is exploring AI cameras, drones, body cameras, mobile equipment and other tools to help officers work more effectively while recruitment remains difficult.
