The regional police force manager of the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (KPCN) has unconditionally dismissed a police officer due to severe dereliction of duty. The dereliction of duty emerged from a disciplinary investigation initiated after the force received information about the officer’s improper use of the service weapon.

In the early days of 2024, the police force’s management received information that the officer in question had allegedly drawn his service weapon during an incident at a hospitality venue on Saba in the night from Sunday, December 31st to Monday, January 1st. The officer was off duty at that time. This information led to both a disciplinary investigation by the KPCN’s Internal Affairs Bureau and a criminal investigation by the National Investigation Department. The latter was initiated because a report had been filed against the concerned officer.

Severe dereliction of duty
The disciplinary investigation has now been completed. The investigation concluded that the officer is guilty of severe dereliction of duty and that his behavior reflected an attitude incompatible with the police force. Dereliction of duty refers to failing to fulfill imposed obligations, violating regulations, or doing or failing to do something that a good civil servant in similar circumstances should avoid or perform. This behavior ranges from minor neglect to serious violations of rules and regulations.

The police force’s leadership emphasizes that such behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated within the organization. The improper use of a service weapon poses a serious threat to safety and erodes trust in the force.

The officer was placed on administrative leave at the start of the disciplinary investigation and has not worked during this period. In early May, he received the notice of unconditional dismissal and had six weeks to file an appeal. After the appeal period expired, the dismissal is now final. Since the criminal investigation is still ongoing, it is not yet clear whether there will be criminal consequences for the officer.

“Dereliction of duty has significant consequences”
Chief of Police Alwyn Braaf commented on the case: “Earlier this year, in relation to another disciplinary case, I clearly stated that integrity is a key focus for our police force’s leadership. Integrity is the foundation of professional and responsible police work. Therefore, I will be brief: there is no place in our organization for unprofessional and irresponsible behavior. Police work is, after all, human work, and people can make mistakes. However, dereliction of duty is a severe violation of professional standards for a police officer and thus has significant consequences.

We thoroughly investigate such reports and take appropriate measures. The police force’s leadership finds the disciplinary dismissal appropriate and unavoidable. We owe it to the community and our organization to take such steps and be open and transparent about them.”

KPCN