GREAT BAY--After the pilot for a tourist police was discussed in Parliament, Member of Parliament Sjamira Roseburg decided to see for herself how a tourist police works in practice. During her recent visit to Curaçao for the Caribbean Excellence Summit, she visited and met with the Curaçao Tourist Police to gain direct insight into what works, how the unit operates and what results it is achieving.
“After the tourist police pilot was discussed in Parliament, I wanted to see it for myself,” Roseburg said. “I believe it is important to get direct insight into a working model, not only to read about it. While I was in Curaçao for the summit, I took the opportunity to visit the tourist police and sit down with one of their officers to hear directly from the people doing the work every day.”
The officer explained that Curaçao’s tourist police works on three pillars: prevention, by being visible and present so incidents don’t happen; response, by taking action quickly when something does happen; and aftercare, by taking care of the people affected afterwards. According to Curaçao, the unit has proven to be a clear added value.
Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling has said that the tourist police will start as a pilot, and that the personnel will assist not only visitors but also residents, while allowing KPSM officers to focus on serious crime.
“I commend the Minister for not looking at this only from a tourism perspective, but also from the perspective of our residents,” Roseburg said. “Our tourist areas are not only where our visitors are. They are also where our people live, work and earn a living: our taxi and bus drivers, vendors, waiters, shop owners and residents in areas such as Philipsburg, Simpson Bay and Maho. A tourist police that is present in those areas and there for everyone is an added service for our community. That can be St. Maarten’s added value.”
“When our own people feel safe and supported, our visitors feel it too,” she added. “Safety is something we build together, for everyone.”
“I look forward to the tourist police pilot and its launch,” Roseburg said. “Tourism is the backbone of our economy, and safety is the backbone of tourism. I am happy to share what I learned in Curaçao with the Ministry to help make this pilot a success.”
Roseburg recorded the conversation, which was held in English and Papiamentu, and is sharing it on her social media pages so the people of St. Maarten can see what a tourist police can look like in practice.
“This is what regional cooperation is about,” Roseburg said. “Learning from our neighbours, and then making it work in a way that fits St. Maarten and serves all of our people.”
