St. Maarten Private Eye

There is no doubt or lack of understanding, at least from me, about the pressure many in the police force have and the hard work many carry out. The severe understaffing can only mean added work load and there is only so much that the strained force can do. It is also understandable that the lack of equipment and training also adds to that pressure, leading to a breakdown in procedures, abilities and working standards which only adds to the frustration many of them must feel.

The fault, or responsiblity for this situation falls onto the shoulders of those in charge, Holiday, Richards and also the politicians. As with so many other things dysfunctional on the island, they fumble around with ideas that are not a solution and often never materialise. Let's consider some reasons why it is difficult to recuit new trainees.

First of all, the pay. I don't have an exact figure so I won't put one, but the figures I have seen or heard about are really quite ridiculous, because as you say, this job demands so much more than many others. This also causes problems with bringing officers from Holland and to a certain extent Suriname, which from what I understand have their own shortage of officers.

Possibilities for advancement or promotion is extremely limited, meaning you could be a great police officer and go nowhere, what with the little personal problems, favoritism and scheming in the so called "Top Brass'. Isn't it time for Holiday to take his retirement and be replaced with fresh ideas and a clean sheet? Aruba has a Dutch police chief, Jamaica has a UK Police Chief, are we too proud to consider one too?

Lack of public support and respect also plays a part. The 'Top Brass' really don't seem to understand that when cases of police abuse of powers come up, they need to be investigated and done so openly to the public. All we get are excuses and just about all investigations are pushed under the carpet, the police are never wrong. I suspect that this not only leads to a drop in public respect, support and cooperation but also to the unattractiveness of the job to those who might have considered joining.

I'm sorry to say, but like Hady, I too am fearful of our police and want as little to do with them as possible. But then, as a founder of this site I generally have more reason to be. From a recent story I heard, it seems that maybe just having a camera and taking a photo of a suspicious person lurking in the shadows of a roadturn can get you a beating by the police. The person this happened to really doesn't want to talk about it, it would go nowhere and likely cause him more problems (or another beating?). Who would he go to anyway?

Ironically, just a few weeks ago the "Juvenile Team' of the police force (members 2?) stated that the youth have a big problem in resolving issues and conflicts without violence. They could also be talking about themselves as too often victims of crime also become victims of the police. I've seen police turn on a victim who was agitated, stressed and in shock, because that person used a few swear words in his discription of what happened. I myself once reported an assault and used the words 'they are beating the shit out of him", the officer on the other end threatened to put the phone down on me.

Why is so hard to make sure all 911 or 5422222 calls are recorded?

The most recent beating reported happened in a police station 'cold room', are there no cameras in that room and if so, why the hell not?

And why are people afraid to press charges about police abuse? Isn't this an issue that strikes at the heart of democracy and a safe and law abiding and respecting community?

That all said.......

There are some very honest, straight and good police officers out there, all of whom I suspect are quite frustrated and angry about the situation on the island and within their force and feeling powerless to do anything about it. I hope they too understand that the failure of the police to hold themselves accountable is a major contributor to the falling respect they get from the public. I would like to invite them to come and comment here.

Holiday, Janchi and Richards, by refusing ever to publicly account for police abuses are in fact the force's worst enemies. And our press shamefully let them sweep it under the carpet time and time again. Chief Excuse Maker Holiday even threatened to appeal the Save Our Beaches case which ruled the police used excessive force, instead he should have issued an appology.

I personally, at this time, favor a solution presented here before somewhere, for integrating our police force with several in Holland. Equalising pay and putting in place strict policies for personnel exchange, including Saba and Statia too. But that would be colonialism I guess, which trumps common sense and progress all the time.

Flipper