In the new State of Law Enforcement Caribbean Netherlands 2025, the Law Enforcement Council warns that law enforcement on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius (Statia), and Saba remains structurally vulnerable and will not turn out to be future-proof without major reinforcement.
According to the Council, capacity, border control, information sharing, detention, forensic care, and the handling of juvenile delinquency remain under constant pressure. At the same time, safety and security risks in the Caribbean region are rising due to organized crime, geopolitical tensions, and growing social pressures on the islands.
The Council notes that while the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security is taking important steps and agrees with the Council’s previous analysis, concrete measures are still lacking in crucial areas. As a result, the risk remains that structural problems will only be partially resolved or addressed too slowly.
Structural Limitations and Gaps
There are concerns particularly about the situation on Saba and Statia. According to the Council, the criminal justice and safety chain there functions with structural limitations and gaps. Capacity issues, a lack of local facilities, and a dependency on Bonaire lead to legal inequality for the residents of these islands.
The Council also explicitly calls attention to the (still existing) lack of central coordination for intelligence-led operations within the maritime hub, the growing challenges surrounding juvenile delinquency, the inadequate digital infrastructure within the justice system, and the risks regarding data sharing within the Kingdom.
Finally, the Council emphasizes that protecting the rule of law in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom is no longer just a local issue, but a strategic security matter for the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Need for Reinforcement
The Council therefore strongly urges the ministers concerned to sustainably strengthen justice organizations financially, organizationally, and in terms of capacity, and to quickly translate policy intentions into concrete, actionable measures with clear timelines.
The State of Law Enforcement Caribbean Netherlands 2025 is available on the website of the Law Enforcement Council (www.raadrh.com).
