The Council for Law Enforcement today publishes its State of Law Enforcement in the Caribbean Netherlands 2024. While the Council acknowledges the hard work and progress of various justice chain partners—particularly the Dutch Probation Service and the efforts of the Board of Chiefs of Police to improve inter-island cooperation—it issues a serious warning about structural vulnerabilities undermining the rule of law on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba.

The report highlights growing concern over the impact of persistent social challenges and systemic shortcomings. Chief among these is a critical shortage of police personnel, resulting in emergency police assistance no longer being structurally guaranteed. This development threatens one of the police’s core functions: the reliable provision of basic emergency response services.

Other key sectors, such as border control and detention services, are also under increasing strain. The Council stresses that without structural reinforcement, the operational capacity of the justice chain will continue to erode, posing risks to both public safety and the well-being of personnel.

Fragmented Leadership and Lack of Coordination

Despite improved local collaboration between justice sector organizations, the Council remains critical of fragmented management and inadequate interministerial coordination from the European Netherlands. It notes that various ministries pursue independent policies without sufficient alignment or a shared strategic vision, hampering effective responses to complex challenges such as subversion and youth crime.

Call for Cross-Domain Cooperation and Long-Term Vision

The Council emphasizes that crime and security issues cannot be addressed solely within the judicial domain. Underlying social factors—such as poverty, educational disadvantage, substance abuse, and housing shortages—require the involvement of other ministries, including Education, Health, Social Affairs, and Home Affairs.

Sustainable solutions, the Council argues, demand cross-domain cooperation and shared ownership. To that end, it calls on the Dutch government to establish a central, overarching governance structure that ensures integrated policy-making, clear accountability, stable funding, and structural strengthening of frontline organizations.

Conclusion

The State of Law Enforcement in the Caribbean Netherlands 2024 depicts a justice chain in motion, but precariously balanced. Challenges stemming from immigration, increased tourism, insufficient infrastructure, and under-resourced social and judicial institutions pose significant and growing risks to the stability and safety of the islands.

The Council concludes that without decisive action—such as increasing capacity, ensuring ongoing support from the national police and Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar), and improving coordination and leadership—structural improvements will remain out of reach.

The report underscores the urgent need for coherent policy, shared leadership, and long-term investment in a resilient and future-proof Caribbean rule of law.

The full report has been presented to the Dutch Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the Ministers of Justice and Security and of Asylum and Migration. It is available in full on the Council for Law Enforcement’s website: www.raadrh.com. Reports on the state of law enforcement in Sint Maarten and Curaçao can also be found there.