A society does not become unsafe only when the police publish crime statistics. A society becomes unsafe when citizens begin to question whether the State still has the capacity to adequately protect them.
Recent events in Curaçao give us every reason to ask that question again. At the end of September, three people lost their lives to violence within the span of one week. In response, the Public Prosecutor’s Office offered a total of XCG 30,000 for information that could help solve these three separate cases. On September 30, another person was killed in a shooting at Waaigat.
These are not merely numbers in a report. Behind every victim is a family. Behind every shooting is a society asking itself: do we still feel safe?
But we must remain careful. It would be too simplistic to claim that Curaçao is experiencing a general explosion in crime. The statistics present a more mixed picture. In 2025, the number of armed robberies declined from 133 to 118, while burglaries of homes and businesses also decreased. At the same time, the number of people who lost their lives as a result of crimes against life increased from seven to nine. Firearms were used in 66 of the 118 armed robberies.
The main issue, therefore, is not simply how much crime there is. The more important questions are: what type of crime is developing, how violent is it becoming, and does the State have sufficient capacity to respond effectively?
That is where the real challenge lies.
When we look at crime from the perspective of good governance, it becomes clear that the problem extends far beyond the police and the justice system. Fighting crime does not begin when the first bullet is fired. It begins with information, intelligence, investigative capacity, border controls, financial supervision, firearms control and a Public Prosecutor’s Office with sufficient capacity to effectively investigate and prosecute complex cases.
The Law Enforcement Council indicated in its State of Law Enforcement 2025 report that structural problems remain throughout the justice chain. Staff shortages, an aging workforce, limited capacity to draft legislation and delays in implementation are placing pressure on the system’s ability to perform its duties. Within the Curaçao Police Force (KPC), the recruitment of new personnel is also lagging behind the number of employees leaving the organization.
These are not merely administrative shortcomings. They are risks to our security.
More police officers on the streets are necessary. But more police without sufficient investigative capacity is not enough. More cameras without proper data analysis are not enough. More legal powers without effective implementation are not enough.
And stricter laws have little value if the State lacks the people and resources necessary to enforce them.
There is another important aspect that receives too little attention in the public debate: money.
Organized crime ultimately revolves around economic interests. Drugs, firearms, money laundering and illicit financial flows are not simply separate incidents. They are components of a criminal system designed to generate profits.
Anyone serious about dismantling a criminal organization cannot focus solely on the person carrying out the crime. Authorities must also determine who gave the orders, who financed the operation, who organized the transportation and where the money went.
A criminal only needs to succeed once. The State must succeed every day.
That is why financial investigations, the fight against money laundering and the confiscation of criminal assets must become much more important components of our security strategy. The objective cannot simply be to put someone behind bars. We must also dismantle the economic foundation that allows criminal activity to continue.
Our borders and logistical points also require structural attention. Curaçao is part of an international environment in which drug trafficking, illegal arms trafficking and financial crime do not stop at national borders. Criminal networks can operate internationally. Our law enforcement agencies must therefore be able to cooperate and exchange information with other countries just as effectively.
But repression alone will not be enough.
When young people arrive at school carrying knives, or when violence becomes part of their daily lives, we are not dealing solely with a policing problem. We are also confronting challenges involving education, youth services, families and society. In other words, it is also a social problem.
If we wait until a young person commits a crime before intervening, we are often already too late.
We therefore need to be honest with ourselves: Curaçao cannot continue responding to every incident as though the incident itself were the problem.
Curaçao needs more than another security operation following each violent event. We need a comprehensive, multi-year security strategy with clear priorities, structural financing, clearly defined responsibilities and measurable results.
Accountability is essential.
Our society should be able to see how many cases are solved, how long investigations take, how many illegal firearms are confiscated, how many criminal assets are seized, where the most serious capacity shortages exist and which measures are actually producing results.
Policy without measurable results is not a strategy. It is merely an intention.
The recent shootings are therefore more than a series of separate incidents. They are a reminder that security is something we cannot take for granted.
Curaçao does not simply need more police officers. Curaçao needs a stronger security chain and a stronger State: a State that prevents where it can, intervenes where it must, investigates what is hidden, takes away the financial power of criminal organizations and accounts for its results.
A strong rule-of-law state does not wait until the next victim falls.
The question, therefore, is not simply whether Curaçao feels safe today. The question is whether our State is prepared for tomorrow—and whether we can demonstrate that it is better prepared than it was yesterday.
Drs. Luigi A. Faneyte MSc. CFE CICA CCS
PAR parliamentary staff member in the Curaçao Parliament