Mr. Franklyn Richards, Chairman of the Council for Law Enforcement, on Monday presented its report, ‘The complaint filing procedure in St. Maarten’ to representatives of leading entities in the judicial chain of St. Maarten. The report was presented to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Roland Duncan, Chief Prosecutor Mr. Hans Mos and the Chief of Police, Commissioner of Police, Mr. Peter de Witte.
The Minister of Justice as well as the Chief Prosecutor and the Chief of Police welcomed the report and indicated their commitment towards implementing recommendations contained in the report.
The report is based on research conducted by the council and draws attention to a substantial number of challenges when a complaint has to be filed. The Council generally concluded that the police force faces shortcomings in resources and personnel while it also suffers from a lack of sufficient expertise. This, in turn, affects the quality of reports drafted about complaints, resulting in negative consequences for investigations.
The Council for Law Enforcement report also concluded that the services surrounding the filing of complaints faces pressure and that information provided by both police and the prosecutor’s office can use some improvement.
The council, however, also agreed that identified deficiencies within the police force have been recognized and that several improvements are already underway, albeit that more has to be done in several areas. However, the Council considers that there are more parts to be done.
The report has thus listed a number of concrete recommendations to the police organization and to the prosecutor’s office with the objective of improving the procedure of filing complaints.
About the Council
The Council for Law Enforcement was established in 2011 by Kingdom decree. The Council for Law Enforcement is an inter-insular body, responsible for the inspection of the various organizations within the justice system. The ultimate objective is to provide recommendations to the Ministers of Justice of the three countries of the Dutch Kingdom in order to correct shortcomings. The Council consists of three members who are appointed by Royal Decree and represent respectively Curacao, the Netherlands for the BES islands and Sint Maarten.
The representative for Curacao is Mr. Glenn Camelia. Representing the Netherlands is Mr. Jacques van Eck while former governor of Sint Maarten, Mr. Franklyn Richards, represents St. Maarten. The latter has been chairman of the council since July 1, 2012.
The Council has inspection authority in Curaçao, St. Maarten and the BES islands. This entails checks of all organizations within the justice system, with the exception of the Common Court of Justice.
Important organizations in the judicial chain are the police organization and the prosecutor’s office. The Council is additionally tasked with safeguarding the quality and effectiveness of judicial cooperation between Sint Maarten, Curaçao and the BES islands. The Council reports to the Ministers of Justice. Six weeks after sending a report to the Minister, the Council can make that report public.
The investigation into the procedure of filing complaints is the first study of the council. This investigation was conducted simultaneously in Sint Maarten, Curaçao and the BES islands. The results of that survey were presented to the respective Ministers of Justice of the three countries. Under the law, the ministers formulate a response to the report and forward such to the relevant body of the country concerned.
The Council operates with an annual plan. For 2012, three investigations are still on the agenda and are related to the process regarding assistance to victims, detective investigations and the court of guardianship.
The Council has a secretariat with offices in St. Maarten, Curacao and Bonaire.
For further information on the Council for Law Enforcement, visit the website:
www.raadrechtshandhaving.com
The contents of the inspection report, ‘’The complaint filing procedure in St. Maarten "is accessible via this site. The establishment of the Secretariat of the Council for Law Enforcement in St. Maarten is located in the Joeliva Building, Charles Voges Street 7 in Philipsburg. Telephone numbers for the secretariat in St. Maarten is 542-9021 and 542-9022.