DEJONG conducts workshop on govt enforcement and supervision on Statia

STATIA--Administrative supervision and enforcement is not one of the easiest tasks, all the more so for enforcers on smaller islands. You meet everyone daily and interact with one another continually in various capacities. This makes it all the more important that supervisory frameworks are clear, and that enforcement is safe, professional, and broadly supported on the island.

On Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 August, DEJONG attorneys Ms. Valya Pantophlet and Mr. Gerald Simmons-de Jong delivered a workshop on St. Eustatius to various organizations charged with supervision and enforcement.

Inspectors from the Public Entity across departments and fields, including public health, public order, economy, and nature, as well as police officers from the Caribbean Netherlands Police Force, KPCN, and several Marine Park Rangers from the nature foundation STENAPA, participated. On Thursday 14 August, the participants received their certificates.

The goal of the training was to further strengthen supervision and enforcement on the island across various subjects, to identify bottlenecks in the different enforcement domains, and to improve cooperation among the various enforcement agencies.

Unlike the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten, the islands of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius have a clear legal framework based on the Public Entities Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Act, WOLBES, and various local ordinances and national laws under which administrative coercion, bestuursdwang, can be applied.

The purpose of initiatives like this is to examine how administrative enforcement can be strengthened locally on Sint Eustatius. This reduces dependence on the police and the Public Prosecution Service, services that have also struggled for years with shortages in operational capacity. It is encouraging to see the Local Government of Sint Eustatius so motivated to develop this area further on their island.

The workshop was initiated by the Island Governor, Hon. Ms. Alida Francis, and the local KPCN chief, Mr. Hodge. Certificates were presented by the Island Governor, Commissioner Leerdam, portfolio holder for Personnel Affairs of the Public Entity of Sint Eustatius, and Ms. Valya Pantophlet, Managing Partner at DEJONG

‍