SXMElections.com

MAHO--Police officers joined Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson and invited guests at the opening of the new Police Substation in Maho Village. The substation will serve Maho and the Lowlands.

The new station, which was co-funded by Dutch Funding Agency USONA, will be the hub of Community Police Officer (CPO) Josepha, affectionately known in the community as Officer Jo, four officers with mountain bikes and Segways, and two dog handlers with their four-legged companions.

The exact opening times of the new substation have not yet been determined, but the aim is to keep the station open for as many hours as possible, and to be open at key times for the area.

An official ceremony marked the opening of the substation, with Inspector Ricardo Henson as Master of Ceremonies. Henson introduced Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson as the first speaker.

Richardson commented on the historic event of the opening of a fourth station, around the fourth anniversary of St. Maarten as a country. He referred to St. Maarten as having a one-pillar-economy based on tourism, and that Maho was a particularly important area for tourism.

He also said that many people live in Maho, both foreigners as well as locals, and that it is a high profile area for entertainment. The new substation would make police response times faster. "This is a good and giant step forward," he said.

Richardson also mentioned the important task that the officers operating from the new substation would have, as they would have a lot of face-to-face contact with tourists. "You are the face of St. Maarten," he said.

Richardson thanked all those who were a part of making the new substation happened. He particularly thanked USONA, not just for its funding of the substation, but for its general efforts in helping St. Maarten develop.

Angela Dekker, from USONA, said that working on justice projects had been a challenge, but had gone very well. Aside from investing in the new substation, USONA also invested large amounts of money into police training, the renovation of Philipsburg police station, Pointe Blanche Prison and the Central Dispatch, which is being completed.

Dekker stated that there should be more mention of all the positive things that were being done in St. Maarten, rather than to only focus on the negative. She compared the four-year-old country to a toddler, learning to do everything by itself.

Rudy Engel, Vice President of Maho's Community Oriented Policing, said that the community was very happy and relaxed about the presence of the substation. "Today, we can see the fruits of the labour of USONA, the police and the Ministry of Justice," he said, before thanking CPO Jo for his efforts.

Miss Canali, who spoke on behalf of the Maho Group of Companies welcomed the police to Maho Village and said that she hoped for a very tight relationship. She thanked the men and women in uniform for their "hard work that lets us sleep under a blanket of freedom and comfort."

Speaking on behalf of St. Maarten Police Force was Commissioner Carl John, despite the presence of Chief Peter de Witte. On the same day, Dennis Richardson had a meeting with the selection committee of the new Chief of Police, but everyone remained tight-lipped about the result.

John spoke of the changes he had seen in St. Maarten since first coming to the island as a police officer from Curaçao in 1990, then returning in 1995 and coming back to St. Maarten once more in 2003. When he first arrived, there would be one police patrol at night policing the island. He spoke of the progress in now opening a police station in Maho.

John stressed the importance of community policing. "We cannot do it alone," he said. "We don't come into your community and tell you what your problem is." Instead, every community was given its own police officer. He also mentioned the two four-legged officers who would be strengthening the team in Maho, which consists of CPO Josepha and the four bike patrol officers.

"This force is small and criticised often," John said. "And often we have to accept this criticism. But, this force is going to grow big, not in numbers, but in smart policing."

The final speaker was CPO Jospeha, who thanked all those behind the project. To the community, he said: "I am still here for you; you keep me on my toes."

Carlyle Rodgers then proposed a toast, which saw all those present standing up and joining him, after which there was the opportunity of a guided tour of the new substation.

The police sub-station is located on the ground floor La Terasse in Maho and easy to get to. The sub-station is completely outfitted with all the equipment that is necessary to operate including a temporary holding cell.