Cell broadcast has passed a controlled test, but final payments remain pending; firefighter placement and compensation issues also lack firm settlement dates.

PHILIPSBURG — Sint Maarten’s cell broadcast public warning system still awaits final payments to TELEM, Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Dr. Luc Mercelina told Parliament on October 1, creating an administrative and financial hurdle for an emergency communication tool.

Responding during the Central Committee’s consideration of the draft 2027 Budget, Mercelina said the system had already been successfully tested in a controlled environment. The related advice had been drafted and was moving through the approval process.

He did not provide a public activation date.

For a system intended to warn people during emergencies, the difference between successful testing and operational availability matters. Parliament still needs to know when that final step will be completed.

Several Disaster Planning Measures Target Late 2027

Mercelina identified the fourth quarter of 2027 as the target for completing tsunami and earthquake plans and standard operating procedures, a host nation support plan and procedures, and exploring micro-insurance possibilities.

He said some products could be delivered earlier, but the government had selected the later target because of possible unforeseen bottlenecks.

Those dates do not mean Sint Maarten has no existing emergency arrangements. They do mean several planned improvements remain unfinished, with completion targets set late in the coming budget year.

The Office of Disaster Management’s broader five-year development program also remains ongoing.

Government Promises Readiness Testing Before Hurricane Season

In response to MP Lyndon Lewis, Mercelina committed to a comprehensive readiness assessment and hurricane preparedness exercise before the 2027 hurricane season.

The assessment is intended to verify plans, personnel, communications equipment and coordination arrangements. He said readiness would be tested through tabletop exercises, communications tests, Emergency Operations Center activation exercises and field exercises where appropriate.

This is a substantive commitment. Its value will depend on whether the exercises identify weaknesses and whether those weaknesses are corrected before an emergency.

Parliament could assess delivery through the exercise dates, findings, assigned corrective actions, and completion status.

Backup Communications Exist, but Public Warning Remains Unfinished

Mercelina said several satellite phones are available for emergency communication. Extra handheld radios and vehicles equipped with built-in repeaters can provide backup if antennas are damaged.

He also referred to previous discussions about requesting assistance from the Marines if necessary.

Those arrangements support emergency coordination. They do not settle when the cell broadcast system will be available to issue warnings to the public.

An update on shelters was deferred to a later response in his capacity as acting Minister of VSA, leaving that component outside the answers delivered in this part of the meeting.

Firefighters Still Await Personnel Resolutions

The Prime Minister’s disaster preparedness answers also exposed continuing delays affecting Fire Department personnel.

Responding to MP Darryl York, he said the placement process had commenced, and draft letters had been prepared. The first batch remained under review following consultations with management, WICSU-PSU and negotiation teams.

Staff shortages in Personnel and Organization, together with medical leave affecting key personnel, had delayed the process.

Mercelina described practical capacity constraints and said the parties were working to complete placement carefully and promptly. He did not give a completion date.

Responding to MP Francisco Lacroes, he also identified unresolved matters involving placement, ranks, promotions, retroactive salary or compensation adjustments, higher-level duties and historical acting arrangements.

No overall settlement date was offered.

Response Ambitions Need Performance Evidence

Mercelina said the Fire Department works toward an approximately eight-to-ten-minute response standard, depending on incident location, traffic, time of day and operational circumstances.

For 2027, government intends to maintain and improve its ability to achieve that standard through staffing, vehicles, equipment, training, station readiness and communications.

However, the response did not provide actual response-time figures showing how consistently the department currently meets its target.

Planned investments include equipment renewal, breathing apparatus, professional training, fire prevention, and stronger emergency coordination.

These improvements are necessary. The unanswered questions are operational: when will the public warning system go live, when will firefighter personnel matters be resolved, and what measurable readiness gains will be in place before the next hurricane season?

Emergency preparedness cannot be assessed solely 

by promises in a budget. It requires functioning systems, equipped personnel, and verified readiness before those capabilities are needed.

Voluntary roles for retired professionals could keep departments functioning during lengthy recruitment processes while helping younger recruits gain valuable institutional knowledge.

PHILIPSBURG:---  President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has urged government to draw on the experience of willing older persons to help address staffing shortages, proposing temporary arrangements that would keep departments functioning while vacant positions are being filled.

In a statement marking the United Nations International Day of Older Persons, Wescot-Williams said Sint Maarten should regard longer lives as an opportunity to retain valuable skills and knowledge.

She linked her proposal to the theme cited in her statement, “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,” which emphasizes ensuring that additional years translate into healthy, productive, dignified and equitable lives.

“Rethinking systems is exactly what is needed,” she said. “And here in Sint Maarten, we have a system that is in urgent need of rethinking: the way we fill vacancies in government.”

Lengthy Recruitment Leaves Departments Under Pressure

Wescot-Williams identified the long period between recognizing a vacancy and appointing someone to fill it as an ongoing challenge.

During that interval, government can lose qualified candidates, work accumulates, and existing employees face additional pressure.

She proposed engaging experienced older persons, including former civil servants and other seasoned professionals, to provide temporary support while recruitment proceeds. Participation, she emphasized, must be entirely voluntary.

“Only if they agree, of course,” she said. “No one should be pulled out of a well-earned retirement.”

She noted that many older people remain healthy, capable, and willing to contribute, bringing decades of knowledge about how government and other institutions operate.

Supporting Young Recruits and Transferring Knowledge

Under the proposed arrangement, experienced professionals would help maintain departmental operations while government continues recruiting new and younger employees.

Once a recruit takes up the position, the experienced professional could assist with onboarding and pass on practical knowledge that written procedures cannot fully capture.

“This is not about replacing young people. It is the opposite,” Wescot-Williams said. “It is about making sure that the door stays open for them, and that when they walk through it, someone experienced is there to help them find their way.”

She described this exchange as an opportunity to strengthen knowledge transfer while honoring the contributions of older persons.

Contracts, Pensions and Costs Require Examination

Wescot-Williams encouraged government to examine how such arrangements could work in practice, including their contractual terms, pension implications and budgetary requirements.

The approach, she said, must be fair to participating professionals and workable for the departments receiving their support.

Her statement also highlighted the potential “longevity dividend” associated with supporting older persons to remain active and engaged.

“Our older persons built this country,” Wescot-Williams said. “Many of them would welcome the chance to help build its future as well. Let us give them that opportunity, on their terms.”

Justice Minister says the proposed service will increase visibility and support KPSM, while firearms would require a different mandate, training and supervision.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling has firmly defended her decision that Sint Maarten’s proposed tourist police will not routinely carry firearms, telling Parliament that the arrangement is a deliberate policy choice rather than an oversight.

In responses to parliamentary questions, Tackling described the tourist police as a specialized, visible, preventive and service-oriented function that would work alongside the Police Force of Sint Maarten, KPSM.

Its personnel would assist visitors and residents, observe and report incidents, and call in regular police officers when intervention is required.

“The tourist police complements KPSM. It does not duplicate it, and it will not stand in for armed officers,” she said.

BAVPOL Status Does Not Automatically Mean a Firearm

Tackling explained that appointment as an extraordinary police officer, commonly referred to as BAVPOL, does not automatically authorize someone to carry a firearm.

According to the minister, the applicable framework allows authorization for specified weapons under certain conditions. However, she stressed that legal permission and an operational decision to routinely arm a particular category of officer are separate matters.

“The position is not that the law forbids arming these officers,” she said. “It is a choice not to, given the role that they will fill.”

Addressing questions about whether two years of training are required, Tackling distinguished the basic training of a fully qualified police officer from BAVPOL training. She said BAVPOL training alone does not qualify someone to become a routine firearm carrier.

Minister Rejects Comparison With Firearms Issued to Public Officials

Tackling sharply rejected a comparison between tourist police and ministers who may receive firearms for personal protection.

A minister, she argued, does not routinely patrol streets, arrest suspects or confront potentially dangerous individuals in the course of policing duties.

“Whatever applies to the personal protection of someone in public office says nothing about the training required by an officer who must act in the public domain,” she said.

She warned against using concerns about standards elsewhere to justify lowering requirements for tourist police.

“A firearm is not standard protective equipment. It is the authority and the responsibility to use lethal force.”

Dangerous Incidents Remain KPSM’s Responsibility

The minister said tourist police safety would depend on clear deployment procedures, communication equipment, situational awareness and direct support from KPSM.

Incidents involving firearms, serious violence or dangerous suspects would require a response from trained and equipped regular police officers.

If tourist police were expected to routinely intervene in situations where lethal force might be necessary, Tackling said the entire function would have to be reassessed. That would include selection standards, training, continuing firearms proficiency, command, supervision and reporting.

She also referred to past experiences with officers being armed without adequate preparation, saying government had a responsibility to avoid repeating those mistakes.

Training Details Still Being Finalized

Despite defending the policy, Tackling did not provide a fixed training duration in these responses.

She said the training components would form part of a plan of approach being finalized, with regional options under consideration.

Her remarks therefore establish the intended role and firearms policy, while leaving the final training arrangements to be detailed.

Tackling said regional tourist police models could offer lessons, although their organizational structures could not simply be equated with Sint Maarten’s proposal.

Sharp Rebuke of Parliamentary Opposition

Tackling accused a parliamentary critic of finding new reasons to oppose the initiative, despite repeated demands for greater police visibility and crime prevention.

“That is not scrutiny. Scrutiny tests a plan in order to improve it. This tests a plan in order to oppose it,” she said.

The minister acknowledged that she could not immediately produce a new class of fully trained police officers. However, she maintained that additional trained personnel performing a clearly defined preventive role could contribute to public safety.

“St. Martin’s residents and visitors are not served by stagnation,” she said. “They are served by action, and I intend to continue acting.”

Minister says existing permissions cover current activities and disputes claims of a ten-month delay, identifying a six-month procurement setback instead.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling has confirmed that the building permit for Sint Maarten’s new prison has not yet been signed off, and that advice from the Fire Department is still outstanding.

Responding to questions in Parliament, Tackling referred to clarification from the Minister of VROMI and said the project still has the permissions needed for the work currently underway.

Her explanation distinguishes between authorization for ongoing work and the outstanding building permit.

Outstanding Approvals Remain Part of the Project

Tackling said the construction company requires four permits, three of which it has already obtained.

She identified the remaining permit as the hindrance permit and said it is being sought. According to the minister, that permit is not required until the second construction phase.

Separately, she acknowledged that the building permit remains unsigned while awaiting Fire Department advice.

The responses did not identify all three permits already obtained or explain how the building permit relates to the four-permit count. They also did not provide a date for the outstanding Fire Department advice or final building permit approval.

Minister Disputes Ten-Month Delay Claim

Tackling also challenged a parliamentary question suggesting that the prison project had been delayed by ten months.

“The delay was six months, not 10,” she said.

According to the minister, the six-month setback occurred during the procurement process in 2025, when the construction contract had to be retendered.

She described it as an unplanned delay that affected the wider project programme and said its causes and consequences had been consistently communicated since mid-2025.

Procurement Delay and Mobilization Are Different Issues

Tackling said additional time required for contractor mobilization in early 2026 must be treated separately from the procurement setback.

The mobilization period, she explained, remained within the time and contingency allowances built into the programme and therefore did not further extend the overall project timeframe.

She rejected the suggestion that the six-month delay was itself merely a buffer period.

“The six months was a real unplanned delay. The contingency is a separate allowance,” she said.

For a project of this scale, she explained, contingency provides room to absorb foreseeable risks and variations. In this instance, it accommodated the additional mobilization time.

Completion date not Specified in these Responses

Tackling characterized the presentation of a ten-month delay as “disingenuous,” arguing that the revised timeline had been communicated for more than a year.

However, these responses did not specify a completion date or provide a detailed construction schedule against which progress could be assessed.

The minister’s position is that current activities can proceed under existing permissions, while the building permit and hindrance permit remain outstanding.