PHILIPSBURG:--- While two Members of Parliament told Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson that certain police officers wants him out of office because they are having issues that are affecting them, one being their promotions and adjustments to their salaries.
SMN News have been reliably informed that the Minister of Justice signed off on several promotions and salary adjustments for Police Officers which amounts close to NAF.3M but that decision has not been executed by the Minister of Finance Maarten Hassink seemingly because government has some financial constraints.
It is further understood that government even asked the persons organizing the military funeral for fallen officer Gamali Benjamin to give them a quotation on the expenses of the funeral because of the financial constraints government has before them. However, while the government of St. Maarten seems to have so much financial problems that they cannot even execute a decision taken by the Minister of Justice to adjust the salaries for certain police officers who have been putting their lives on the line to protect St. Maarten and its people as well as the economy, government somehow found $100,000.00 to promote a boxing event scheduled for the end of August 2015.
In the meantime, several Facebook comments shows that persons within the community wants to give assistance to the families of the fallen officer. SMN News also learnt that the management of the Police Force submitted an advice to the former Minister of Justice advising him to insure police officers since their jobs are risky but to date that advice was not executed.
