St. Maarten Private Eye

From - SMN-News

Derrick Holiday Sent Home-----Dutch to Take Top Spot--- Paneflec Stays number 2--- SXM Police Officers Upset

Philipsburg: --- Chief Commissioner of Police Derrick Holiday was sent home on Wednesday last week. The decision was taken in Curacao while Holiday was also in Curacao. Minister of Justice David Dick said that this was something he was working on for quite sometime. He said Holiday would be assisting him and the local government for the next two years to organize the new police force for St. Maarten when the island takes on its country status. Asked who would be replacing Holiday, Dick confirmed he has two candidates in mind one with Surinamese background while the other he said is from Holland.
The Minister said he did not decide which of the two men will be taking the top spot in the police force on St. Maarten on an interim basis. However, he is expecting to decide shortly and hopefully the new chief commissioner of police will take up his position sometime in March 2008. Asked what position would Deputy Chief Commissioner of Police Richard Paneflec would hold, the Minister said that Paneflec would remain second in command and that nothing will change in his capacity. However, local police officers are not happy with the Minister’s decision because they said St. Maarten has its own qualified people who can execute the job. Sources say that the police officers on St. Maarten will decide what action to take when they receive official notification of Holiday’s removal and the person who will be replacing him. “Imagine we are working towards achieving country status, and the minister is bringing in the Dutch to take over the top positions” one officer said that nonsense will not be accepted.

So far officers on St. Maarten are not officially informed of the decision that was taken except to say that Holiday himself told two senior officers he lost his job on Friday. Minister of Justice David Dick said that Holiday will have to be placed in some other office until the new offices for police affairs are made available. He said that these are some of the details that still have to be worked out. Asked if Holiday will face prosecution for the amount of illegal re-entry permits he signed while in office as Chief Commissioner of Police, Dick said he would not be able to say what decision the prosecutor will take since that is not his jurisdiction. Holiday is also suspected of collecting rent allowances while living in his own home. According to information reaching SMN News Holiday is suspected of being an accomplice to the crimes that were committed by convicted police commissioner Marcel Loor and he will soon face prosecution for the illegalities committed by him and under his leadership.
SMN News contacted Chief Prosecutor of the Windward Islands Taco Stein to see if his office is preparing a case against Holiday, Stein said he would not be commenting on the matter.

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