The Aruba Police Force (KPA) is facing a deep crisis that has led personnel from the Detective Department (Departamento di Recherche – DAR) to stage a protest action (“walkout”). The President of the Police Union (SPA), Lito Lacle, categorically declared that the situation has become unsustainable due to a severe staff shortage, structural neglect from both police management and the Ministry of Justice, and a lack of proper working conditions.
According to Lacle, the discontent is nothing new, but rather the result of years of warnings that were ignored. The last straw resulted in the DAR workers’ decision to launch a walkout, tired of encountering “closed doors” and a lack of real solutions.
A 57% staff shortage
The biggest problem DAR is currently facing is the scarcity of personnel to handle the volume of criminal cases in Aruba. Lacle explained that the department is supposed to have a workforce of at least 51 detectives, but currently has barely 22 active workers.
“This is not a 30% shortage; this is a failure of 57% of missing personnel,” Lacle emphasized.
He added that three years ago there were open vacancies to bring in seven (7) extra detectives to reinforce the department, but structurally only one (1) person was hired. This lack of staff puts immense pressure on the remaining workers, who are logging long days of up to 16 hours a day, regardless of whether it is Monday, Saturday, or Sunday.
As an example of this crisis, Lacle mentioned that the Noord District—where two murders were recently registered—practically has only three (3) people working, and now only one (1) single person is left to handle all the investigations.
“The Noord and San Nicolas districts are practically bleeding out,” the SPA president warned.
Impact on the justice system
The crisis within the Police Force has a direct impact on Aruba’s judicial system. Lacle revealed that the Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM) had to alter its investigation policy because KPA no longer has the capacity to process every case.
Through official urgent letters (brandbrieven), the Public Prosecutor’s Office informed police management that due to this grave situation, certain criminal cases can no longer be handled the same way and that they have even had to start sending out afdoeningsbrieven (letters to close cases without a structural investigation) due to the lack of capacity.
The SPA Union pointed out that the Public Prosecutor’s Office sent a total of three letters to police management seeking an urgent solution, of which the first two received no response at all. The third did get an answer, but without bringing any structural solutions to the table.
Abandoned by leadership and sub-par working conditions
The protest, which initially began as a two-hour action to evaluate next steps, highlights the frustration felt throughout the entire force, not just among detectives. Lacle criticized the department heads’ lack of tact and accountability, stating that they declared at the meeting table that they had no solution to the problem, only to turn their backs and board a plane to Curaçao.
Beyond the staffing shortage, there is general discontent regarding labor and salary conditions. Lacle gave an example:
“Today, a cleaning lady earns 1,960 florins net. Do you think that is normal?”
Along with this, he mentioned widespread issues with contracts and a lack of maintenance for basic station amenities like stoves or refrigerators, forcing police officers to buy fast food (croquettes) just to get through the day.
The situation has taken a toll on the psychological well-being and health of the detectives.
“We have to put our hands on our hearts. We spend two-thirds of our lives in here, and we want to be heard,” Lacle expressed, voicing concern for the lives and health of officers being worn out by the heavy workload.
A call to the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice
The SPA Union is making a direct call to put an end to the “business trips” (dinsreisjes) and demands that both the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister assume their responsibilities based on Article 13 of the Police Ordinance (Landsverordening Politie), which dictates the mandate for the strength and well-being of the police force.
The union expects a call as early as today from a police chief or minister to put a concrete solution on the table.
“The solution needs to come today, not yesterday. Three weeks have already passed since the last meetings and there is nothing,” Lacle concluded.
Structural crisis in Police Force: SPA Union sounds the alarm and denounces massive vacancy gap in Detective Department (DAR)
