The Minister of Justice and Security of the Netherlands, Foort van Oosten, is paying a working visit to Saba and St. Maarten from 12 to 16January. The visit is dedicated to strengthening the cooperation with judicial and administrative partners in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom regarding law enforcement and security. The biannual Four-Party Judicial Consultation between the Ministers of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands takes place in St. Maarten.
Saba
The Minister kicks off his working visit on Saba on Monday, 12 January, where he will confer with Island Governor Jonathan Johnson and the Executive Council. In addition, the Minister is visiting the Harry L. Johnson Museum, the Dutch Caribbean Police Force and the Fire Department Caribbean Netherlands.
St. Maarten
On Tuesday, 13 January, Minister van Oosten begins his stay in St. Maarten with a meeting with the Governor of St. Maarten, Ajamu Baly. Together with the Minister of Justice, Nathalie Tackling, the Minister tours the Point Blanche prison.
On Thursday, 15 January, the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the new prison location will take place. This is an important step in law enforcement in which serving an imposed prison sentence and rehabilitation go hand in hand. The Minister is meeting with the Coast Guard in St. Maarten, which plays a crucial role in guarding the borders of the Kingdom, combating drug criminality and ensuring maritime safety.
On Thursday and Friday, the Four-Party Judicial Consultation between the countries is being held. The four countries within the Kingdom work closely together in the field of justice. During the consultation, topics such as the geopolitical situation in the Caribbean region, the tackling of organised criminality and the improvement of forensic care will be discussed.