Marechaussees to help combat
human trafficking, smuggling
PHILIPSBURG--The thirteen additional Dutch Marechaussees who will be stationed in St. Maarten will be primarily tasked with combating human trafficking and smuggling. Justice Minister David Dick said on Monday that the Marechaussees would also be working in Saba and St. Eustatius.
“There they will have some additional police responsibilities too,” Dick said after a meeting Monday on the Netherlands Antilles Safety Plan.
Dutch Defence Minister Eimert Middelkoop, who is the administrator of the Marechaussees, confirmed that, in addition to the six Marechaussees to help the Special Robbery Unit of the Police Force, 13 more Marechaussees had been made available for the period of one year.
He said the request by Dick for more Marechaussees was based on the WODC report. In the report, upholding the law in St. Maarten was severely criticised as gravely lacking.
