On Tuesday, May 22nd at approximately 09.00 a.m. a phone call from the Point Blanche House of Detention came into the Philipsburg Police Head Quarters regarding a disturbance that was ongoing at the prison.
The situation had became extremely tense, at which time prisoners refused to go back into their cells and the guards needed assistance from the police to get the situation under control. Immediately several off duty police officers were called in and together with the several police patrols from Philipsburg and Simpson bay went to the prison. At the prison staff members informed the officers on the scene that the prisoners were in protest because there had been no running water available from the day before. No running water was available due to the malfunctioning of a pressure pump from G.E.B.E. that pumps water to the top of the hill where the prison is situated. According to the police officers at the prison the situation was indeed quite tense and could worsen at any moment. The police officers in the meanwhile had dressed in full riot gear and ready to go into action at any moment. The director of the prison Rudsel Ricardo went into talks with the "Inmates Association" in the attempt to defuse the situation. Shortly after these talks the situation was defused and the inmates returned to their cells. In the meantime the water pump was repaired and everything had gone back to normal. It was not necessary anymore for the police to go into action. The police then left the prison and returned to the normal duty.