PHILIPSBURG:--- The Justice Ministry of St. Maarten is engulfed in a storm of dysfunction, with the Pointe Blanche Prison crisis and the chaos at the Immigration and Border Control Department (IND) serving as glaring examples of systemic failure. The Law Enforcement Council’s recent notification to Parliament and the Kingdom Council of Ministers paints a grim picture of negligence, human rights violations, and a lack of accountability. Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling’s dismissive responses to these crises reveal a leadership vacuum at the heart of the Ministry.

Pointe Blanche Prison: A Humanitarian and Security Crisis

The Law Enforcement Council’s June 6, 2025, notification underscores the dire state of the Pointe Blanche Prison. Years of neglect and failure to implement recommendations have created a hazardous environment where the safety and human rights of detainees, staff, and visitors are routinely compromised. The Council’s report highlights a life-threatening riot and fire on May 14, 2025, as a stark reminder of the prison’s precarious state. Without immediate action, further escalation and potential fatalities are inevitable.

The Council’s findings are a damning indictment of both local and Kingdom-level authorities. Despite over a decade of inspections and recommendations, the prison remains a symbol of structural negligence. The Council’s unprecedented decision to issue a formal notification under Article 32 of the Kingdom Act on the Law Enforcement Council reflects the gravity of the situation.

Minister Tackling’s Deflection and Denial

Minister Nathalie Tackling’s recent statements during a Council of Ministers press briefing reveal a troubling disconnect from the realities on the ground. When questioned about the prison crisis and the cost of housing prisoners overseas—€1.2 million annually for the Netherlands alone—her responses were vague and dismissive. She downplayed the significance of motions passed during the budget debate, claiming that many of the proposed measures, such as electronic monitoring, are already in place. However, her rhetoric fails to address the systemic issues highlighted by the Council.

Tackling’s assertion that the prison system is not a "pick and choose" operation and her focus on logistical challenges, such as staffing for electronic monitoring, reflect a lack of proactive leadership. Instead of addressing the root causes of the prison’s dysfunction, she appears content to maintain the status quo, leaving inmates, staff, and the public to bear the consequences.

IND: A Hotbed of Corruption and Incompetence

The chaos extends beyond the prison to the Immigration and Border Control Department (IND), where allegations of corruption and gross incompetence are rampant. Employees are reportedly engaged in backbiting and infighting, exacerbated by the ineptitude of the department head. Online services are in disarray, leaving residents unable to upload documents or obtain invoices for residency applications. The resulting backlog has left countless individuals in limbo, unable to secure or renew their residency permits.

Minister Tackling’s inability to address these issues has only deepened the crisis. The IND’s dysfunction is not just a bureaucratic failure; it is a humanitarian one, affecting the lives and livelihoods of people living and working in St. Maarten. Yet, the Minister has shown little inclination to tackle the "monster" created by the department head and complicit employees, further eroding public trust in her leadership.

A Ministry in Crisis

The Justice Ministry’s woes are emblematic of a broader governance crisis. From the Pointe Blanche Prison to the IND, the common thread is a lack of accountability, transparency, and effective leadership. Minister Tackling’s defensive rhetoric and failure to implement meaningful reforms have left the Ministry in a state of paralysis, unable to fulfill its mandate to ensure justice and security for the people of St. Maarten.

The Law Enforcement Council’s alarm should serve as a wake-up call, not just for the Minister but for the entire government. Without immediate and decisive action, the Justice Ministry risks becoming a symbol of systemic failure, undermining the rule of law and the public’s faith in their leaders.

The Justice Ministry is not just in chaos; it is in crisis. Minister Nathalie Tackling’s inability to address the myriad issues plaguing her Ministry—from the Pointe Blanche Prison to the IND—has left St. Maarten at a crossroads. Will the government step in to restore order, or will the Ministry continue its descent into dysfunction? The people of St. Maarten deserve answers—and action.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Temporary Work Organization (TWO), in collaboration with the Government of Sint Maarten, reflects on the successful completion of the project “Revamping the IT Department” – a transformative initiative aimed at strengthening digital capacity within the public sector. Running from January 2023 to December 2024, the project laid a solid foundation for improved service delivery, modern IT governance, and enhanced efficiency across government institutions.

Led by the Ministry of General Affairs, and supported by ICTU and the TWO, the project focused on addressing structural challenges, including staffing shortages, outdated processes, and a lack of coordination among ministries.

The key outcomes of the project include significantly improved IT operations. Formal processes have now been established for incident management, service requests, and other related matters. Major hardware upgrades have been implemented, and various improvement projects have been initiated across multiple government departments.

Organizational development was also a core component. New staff members have been hired, and more employees have been granted permanent contracts. Development plans are now in place for IT personnel.

Looking ahead, the project has generated valuable insights that are already being applied in the follow-up initiative, “Rivet.” This successor project builds on the foundation laid by Revamping, placing additional emphasis on long-term capacity building, improved stakeholder communication, and stronger project governance through enhanced sponsorship.

“This is more than a departmental restructuring – it represents a cultural shift in how we deliver public services,” said a project spokesperson.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Windward Islands Bank announces the temporary relocation of its Simpson Bay branch operations to accommodate scheduled renovations. As of Friday, July 18th, the Simpson Bay branch will be closed to facilitate the relocation of its operations. On Monday, July 21st, the Simpson Bay branch will commence operations from its temporary location at #15 Airport Road at 11:00 a.m. The temporary location is just a block away from the present branch location on the same Simpson Bay strip. Night depository and ATM services will be disrupted at the present branch location starting Thursday at noon. WIB informs that its drive-through ATM at the Simpson Bay gas station will be operational. Clients can drop off their night deposits at the Bushroad branch on Friday. Both the Bushroad and Pondfill locations will remain open on Friday. WIB sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience the relocation may cause and looks forward to continuing to serve you from our new location, effective Monday, July 21st.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Law Enforcement Council (the Council) on June 6, 2025, sounded the alarm about the unsustainable situation in the Point Blanche Prison and House of Detention (prison). This by means of a notification letter based on article 32 of the Kingdom Act on the Law Enforcement Council (Kingdom Act Council) to both the Parliament of Sint Maarten and the Kingdom Council of Ministers. The Council has noted that the prison has been in an extremely precarious and hazardous condition for years. The Council finds this unacceptable. The safety and human rights of everyone in the current prison must be guaranteed.

On May 14, 2025, it became evident once again that this safeguard is not in place; this was due to a life-threatening riot and fire, with a real risk of fatalities among staff, detainees, and visitors. Without having a shared sense of urgency and immediate action, further escalation with possible fatal consequences remains an imminent risk. The Council believes that the steadily worsening conditions, along with the potential threat and likelihood of repeat incidents, require a shared sense of urgency and action from all those responsible for them. Joint action at both the local and Kingdom levels is necessary for a workable approach and solution in the shortest possible time. With its notification letters, the Council calls upon the Parliament of Sint Maarten and the Kingdom Council of Ministers to facilitate this end.

Systematic failure to follow recommendations
The Council has been carrying out (follow-up) inspections and recommendations for the prison system for over a decade. For years, the Council has also been monitoring, at the request of the Judicial Quadrilateral Consultation (JVO), the follow-up of the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). The Council attributes the development and progression of the observed life-threatening situation(s) in the prison to a significant extent to years of structural negligence and systematic failure to follow up on the Council's recommendations. In the event that recommendations are systematically not followed by the Minister of Justice, the Council can exercise its legal authority to issue a notification to Parliament and the Kingdom Council of Ministers under article 32 of the Kingdom Act Council. This is the first time the Council has issued such a notification.

Insufficient safeguards and violation of rights

The situation in the prison has, for years, led to a continuous violation of fundamental (human) rights and seriously undermined the security of both staff and detainees. The Council has repeatedly emphasized that the responsibility to comply with internationally set laws and regulations and (CPT) standards not only lies with the Country Sint Maarten, but also with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Council concludes that the Kingdom of the Netherlands is failing to meet its responsibilities in this regard. The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands provides sufficient room to ensure compliance with this responsibility.

Perspective
The identified risks of the unsafe environment within the prison also affect society as a whole and must be viewed and addressed from a broader perspective. In the Council’s latest State of Law Enforcement 2024, among other recommendations, the Council advocates for an integrated approach that extends beyond the traditional justice and law enforcement chain and for the continuation of indispensable justice cooperation between countries. This is also particularly relevant to the prison system.

Unsustainable and unacceptable situation
The Council emphasizes once again that an untenable and unacceptable situation has developed in the prison for which a structural solution must be found. By using its authority, the Council aims to bring about a joint solution in the shortest possible time. This is not only in the interest of staff and the detainees, but also of society as a whole.

In conclusion

The letters (in Dutch and English) and all other Council publications are available digitally on the Council's new website: https://www.raadrh.com