GREAT BAY: At the initiative of St. Maarten, the four countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands have agreed to examine the financial and legal arrangements governing shared justice services, with the objective of developing a more transparent, balanced and sustainable funding model.
The agreement was reached during the Justice Four-Party Consultation (JVO), held in Curaçao on September 3, 2026, and was confirmed in a report submitted to the Dutch Parliament on October 13 by Dutch Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel.
The consultation brought together the justice ministers of St. Maarten, Aruba, Curaçao and the Netherlands under the chairmanship of Curaçao's Minister of Justice, Shalten Hato. The discussions covered several challenges affecting the justice systems throughout the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, including law enforcement staffing shortages, organized crime, prison conditions, youth criminality, border security and the financing of shared institutions.
One of the significant developments was St. Maarten's initiative to place the financing of common justice services on the agenda. According to the report, the ministers discussed the importance of establishing a future-proof, transparent and balanced financing model for institutions serving multiple countries within the Kingdom.
The ministers subsequently established a new working group tasked with examining the financial and legal frameworks governing the budgets of shared justice services. The objective is to ensure that these institutions remain financially sustainable and affordable for the participating countries.
The report does not indicate whether any changes to the existing financial contributions were agreed upon. Rather, the establishment of the working group represents the beginning of a review of the current arrangements.
Concerns Over Shortages in the Justice System
The ministers also acknowledged that an imbalance in staffing and operational capacity across the Caribbean justice system presents a risk to effective law enforcement.
The report explains that differences in capacity between shared institutions, such as the Detective Cooperation Team (RST) and the Joint Court of Justice, and national services, including police forces and correctional facilities, can undermine the effectiveness of criminal investigations and prosecutions.
In practical terms, improvements in detecting and apprehending suspects may not produce the intended results if other parts of the justice system lack the personnel or resources required to process cases and carry out subsequent legal procedures.
The ministers agreed that a comprehensive and updated assessment of staffing and operational capacity is necessary to identify where the most serious shortages exist.
Under the agreed approach, each Caribbean country will provide information on its respective national justice services, while the Netherlands will assess the capacity of shared institutions.
The findings are intended to help the ministers identify weaknesses throughout the justice system and determine where corrective measures are most urgently needed.
The issue will return to the agenda at the next Justice Four-Party Consultation.
Growing Youth Crime Raises Concern
The increasing involvement of young people in criminal activity was identified as another serious concern requiring coordinated attention.
The ministers emphasized the importance of preventing young people from becoming involved in criminal activity and, particularly, stopping their progression toward violent and organized crime.
Although crime prevention remains the responsibility of each individual country, the four countries agreed to cooperate on developing a clearer understanding of the problem and identifying the groups of young people most at risk.
The initiative will include a comprehensive analysis of the underlying problems and target groups, followed by the development of an integrated action plan.
A conference will be organized in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom in 2027 to gather information and support the development of this approach.
The report makes clear that individual countries will generally remain responsible for financing the implementation of recommendations and preventive measures. The Netherlands will support the process by providing expertise and sharing successful approaches.
No specific financial commitments for youth crime prevention were announced in the report.
Stronger Cooperation Against Organized Crime
The four justice ministers reaffirmed their commitment to combating organized crime, particularly criminal activities that extend across national borders.
The report recognizes that criminal organizations operate beyond the boundaries of individual countries, making cooperation between justice authorities essential.
Existing cooperation against drug-related criminality has been reviewed, and the ministers agreed to continue supporting the current arrangements.
These efforts include cooperation through the Caribbean Undermining Crime Platform, which brings together authorities involved in tackling organized criminal activities that threaten legitimate institutions and governance.
The ministers also want to strengthen the administrative approach to organized crime, placing greater emphasis on measures that can disrupt criminal influence beyond traditional police investigations.
A working group responsible for this area has been instructed to present a more detailed assessment of the results of ongoing and recently completed projects at the next consultation.
Prison Cooperation and Possible Regional Detention Pool
The future of detention facilities and prison management across the Caribbean countries was another major subject of discussion.
The ministers agreed that an effective justice system requires detention facilities that are safe, sustainable and respectful of human dignity.
While each country remains responsible for its own prison system, the ministers discussed strengthening cooperation through an existing detention task force.
The task force will focus on improving professional training, including the joint purchasing of training programs and exchanges of instructors between correctional institutions.
Other priorities include improvements to information technology and inmate registration systems, rehabilitation and reintegration programs, and arrangements for mutual assistance during emergencies.
One proposal under consideration is the establishment of an inter-island detention pool that could provide assistance to correctional institutions when additional support is required.
The proposal will be developed further, including the necessary legal basis, for consideration at the next Justice Four-Party Consultation.
The report emphasizes that the detention task force does not have its own budget and that individual countries remain responsible for prison operations and detention conditions.
The Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations provides secretarial support to the task force, while the Ministry of Justice and Security can provide technical assistance through the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency.
Forensic Psychiatric Care and Juvenile Detention
Progress was also reported in efforts to improve forensic psychiatric care and specialized treatment arrangements for offenders, including juveniles.
Since April 2026, a program manager has been appointed to oversee a multiyear initiative addressing forensic care and treatment, court-ordered psychiatric treatment and placement in institutions for juveniles.
All four countries have reaffirmed their commitment to the initiative and are working to establish and strengthen national project teams.
The ministers emphasized that these teams must have sufficient long-term staffing and financial resources to implement improvements appropriate to the circumstances of each island.
The Dutch government expressed confidence that the multiyear initiative has begun producing improvements in forensic care across the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
Information Sharing to Strengthen Border Security
The ministers also approved a proposal for a pilot project aimed at improving the exchange of information on flagged individuals during border control procedures.
The initiative falls under the Mutual Arrangement on the Immigration Chain, established in 2010.
St. Maarten, Curaçao and the Netherlands participate in the arrangement, while Aruba takes part as an active observer.
The project is intended to facilitate the exchange of information relevant to identifying individuals who have been flagged by authorities during border processing.
The report maintains that immigration policy remains the responsibility of each individual country and that cooperation must be based on equality, mutual support and constructive relations.
No implementation date or technical details for the pilot were provided.
Fire Services to Extend Regional Cooperation
The ministers approved an extension of an existing cooperation agreement involving the fire departments of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands.
The agreement, described in the report as covering the 2026 to 2029 period, builds on cooperation that has been ongoing since 2018 in firefighting, disaster response and crisis management.
The participating fire chiefs have also expressed interest in establishing a joint support secretariat to strengthen coordination between their services.
A proposal will be developed for consideration at the next consultation.
The report also addresses firefighting capacity in the Caribbean Netherlands, particularly Bonaire. It states that staffing levels have remained relatively stable and that a newly trained group of firefighters is available. Another group of trainees is expected to begin training during the first quarter of 2027.
New firefighting equipment is also expected for Bonaire, including a fire engine, a tanker and an airport rescue and firefighting vehicle. Procurement of an additional firefighting vehicle for Saba is also being initiated.
Review of Shared Justice Institutions
The ministers reviewed annual reports, operational plans, budgets and multiyear financial projections for several shared justice institutions.
These included the Detective Cooperation Team, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Public Prosecutor's Office for Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands, the Law Enforcement Council, the Joint Court of Justice and the Foundation for the Management of Law Enforcement Information Technology, known as SBIR.
The Netherlands agreed to the decisions requested in the documents submitted for consideration.
The ministers also discussed the future management and governance of SBIR, which plays a role in supporting information technology systems used by justice institutions.
A dedicated working group has been instructed to develop possible scenarios for the organization's future governance and oversight, incorporating input from the operational services that depend on its systems.
The discussions formed part of a broader effort to make the Justice Four-Party Consultation more strategic, with routine administrative matters increasingly handled at the civil service level so ministers can concentrate on policy priorities.
Next Meeting Scheduled for June 2027
The next Justice Four-Party Consultation is scheduled for June 2027 and will be organized by the Netherlands in Bonaire.
Several matters discussed during the September meeting are expected to return to the agenda, including justice system staffing shortages, the results of organized crime initiatives, cooperation between fire departments and the proposal for an inter-island detention pool.
The newly established working group on financing shared justice institutions will also have the task of examining the arrangements that determine how these services are funded and maintained.
For St. Maarten, the agreement to review the funding framework represents an opportunity to address the long-term affordability of shared justice institutions while maintaining the cooperation necessary to support law enforcement and the administration of justice throughout the Kingdom.
The October 13 report does not establish a deadline for completing the financing review or identify specific changes that might result from it.
