Island Governors Send Urge To The Hague: Citizens’ Safety Is Shortaged

The new cabinet must take urgent measures to improve the safety of citizens on the BES islands. This is the message from the governors of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba in an urgent message addressed to the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“The desired and acceptable level of legal protection for residents in the Caribbean Netherlands is under pressure. As independent officials responsible for public order, we experience the consequences of the shortcomings in the security and justice system on a daily basis. This has a significant impact on the sense of security and the actual safety of our residents,” the governors write in a joint letter.

Referring to previous alarming reports, the governors draw attention to the structural staff shortage in the police force. “This means that in certain cases, citizens receive no or delayed assistance in the event of an emergency. Reports have been received on the islands that this situation has indeed occurred.”

Due to structural understaffing, Customs’ protective role is also failing to perform effectively, partly because it has “prioritized its efforts on the collection of excise duties and taxes” and not on “security issues such as an escalating weapons problem and growing risks of undermining crime.”

“Many of the findings are not new. We urgently urge the new government to work on appropriate and structural solutions to the identified challenges and shortcomings in the justice and security chain. Residents of the Caribbean Netherlands have the right to a safe, just, and stable society, equal to every other citizen within the Netherlands, of which we are a part,” the authorities stated.

Article in Dutch with the original letter: https://dossierkoninkrijksrelaties.nl/2026/02/24/gezaghebbers-sturen-noodkreet-naar-den-haag-veiligheid-burgers-schiet-tekort/

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