In its new State of Law Enforcement in the Caribbean Netherlands 2025, the Council for Law
Enforcement warns that law enforcement on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba remains
structurally vulnerable and, without substantial reinforcement, is not future-proof.
According to the Council, capacity, border control, information exchange, detention, forensic
care and the approach to juvenile crime remain under continued pressure. At the same time,
security risks in the Caribbean region are increasing due to subversive crime, geopolitical
tensions and growing social pressure on the islands.
The Council notes that the Ministry of Justice and Security is taking important steps and
endorses the Council’s earlier analysis, but that on crucial points too few concrete measures are
yet visible. As a result, the risk remains that structural problems will be resolved only partially or
too slowly.
There are particular concerns about the situation on Saba and Sint Eustatius. According to the
Council, the criminal justice and security chain there operates with structural limitations and
gaps. Capacity problems, the lack of local facilities and dependence on Bonaire lead to unequal
access to justice for residents of these islands.
The Council also explicitly draws attention to the continuing absence of central coordination for
intelligence-led operations within the maritime hub, the growing problem of juvenile crime, the
inadequate digital infrastructure within the justice chain and the risks surrounding data exchange
within the Kingdom.
Finally, the Council emphasizes that protecting the rule of law in the Caribbean part of the
Kingdom is no longer merely a local issue, but a strategic security issue for the entire Kingdom
of the Netherlands.
The Council therefore urgently calls on the ministers to sustainably strengthen justice
organizations financially, organizationally and in terms of capacity, and to quickly translate
policy intentions into concrete and executable measures with clear timelines.
The State of Law Enforcement in the Caribbean Netherlands 2025 is available on the website of
the Council for Law Enforcement: www.raadrh.com.
Law enforcement in the Caribbean Netherlands is under structural pressure: structural strengthening is necessary
