WILLEMSTAD - The Curaçao police force and the National Detective Agency are facing a shortage of modern investigative resources, potentially leading to unnecessary delays in criminal investigations. This was revealed in a study conducted by the Council for Law Enforcement, which assessed the efficiency of investigative procedures on the island. The absence of up-to-date investigative tools is currently being mitigated by support from the joint investigative team known as the RST (Recherche Samenwerkingsteam) and the Royal Marechaussee.
The legal framework in Curaçao includes provisions stating that criminal cases should be processed within a reasonable timeframe. This is intended to ensure that both victims and perpetrators experience justice within the legal system.
However, the study indicates that there is no established policy outlining the expected duration of criminal cases by investigative agencies such as the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Curaçao Police Force, the National Detective Agency, and the Recherche Samenwerkingsteam RST.
While there are steering committees within the judicial system that oversee the progress of criminal investigations, this has been viewed as a positive step by the Council.
Personnel
One significant challenge appears to be the staffing capacity, especially within the National Detective Agency, where a shortage of personnel negatively impacts the handling of criminal cases. To address this shortage, the police receive support from the RST and the Royal Marechaussee.
Furthermore, there is a severe lack of modern investigative resources within the police and the National Detective Agency. The Council emphasizes the necessity of ensuring that investigative agencies are consistently equipped with the appropriate tools.
The Council has also observed that investigative organizations do not maintain consistent records of the inflow and outflow of criminal cases, resulting in an unknown exact duration of case processing. Consequently, it urgently recommends systematically documenting these data. The current absence of such data is viewed as a significant deficiency in the investigative system.