PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday, 28 and Thursday, 29 January, police forces, chain partners, and training institutes gathered in Curaçao for the annual Training Conference. The two-day conference focused on how to organize a sustainable, professional, and regionally aligned education and development system for law enforcement.
The conference emphasized the importance of clearly identifying training needs and setting long-term priorities. On the first day, the Platform of Training Coordinators Caribbean (POC) discussed both content-related and organizational themes, including qualification dossiers, Basic Police Training (BPO), Integrated Professional Training (IBT), innovation, twinning, accreditation, and governance.
BPO is the foundational training program for new police officers, providing essential knowledge and skills to perform police duties. IBT is the mandatory ongoing training for serving officers, designed to maintain and improve operational skills such as use of force, arrest techniques, and professional readiness.
These discussions resulted in a series of decision cards, which were presented on the second day to the College of Police Chiefs (CvK) for further discussion and decision-making.
The conference demonstrated significant progress in recent years in professionalism and regional cooperation. Examples include joint regional training for IBT instructors currently taking place in the Netherlands and the development of a structured approach to qualification dossiers. Sexual Offences serves as a pilot dossier, and this approach will also be applied to BPO in 2026.
Challenges remain, particularly in ensuring sustainable follow-up within the police forces. This includes decisions on joint IBT policy, regional exchange, and how to keep IBT instructors adequately trained after completing their initial education. While the decision cards led to constructive and, at times, in-depth discussions, not all items received final approval. Where agreement was not reached, it became clear that further research is needed to support decision-making.
The role of the RST within the POC is twofold. On the one hand, the RST is responsible for training and maintaining expertise within the police forces in the areas assigned to it, namely technical support, digital support, and interception. On the other hand, the RST funds specific training programs for police forces, aligned with the tasks and priorities of the embedded teams. From both roles, training activities are planned for 2026, with attention to multi-year continuity.
Using the conference outcomes—both the decisions made and the discussions held—the POC will continue to define the multi-year training needs. Together with the training institutes, efforts will also focus on further strengthening cooperation, with a strong emphasis on long-term sustainability.

PHILIPSBURG:---The House of Parliament will sit in a Public meeting on February 5, 2026.

The Public meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 10.00 hrs. in the Legislative Hall at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda points are:
1. Incoming documents
2. Advice on the proposal by the Committee for Petitions on the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee related to NV GEBE

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules.
The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.youtube.com/c/SintMaartenParliament and www.pearlfmradio.sx

PHILIPSBURG:--- Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are a cornerstone of the current government's strategy for national development, according to Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), Patrice Gumbs Jr., the Minister addressed the value of these collaborations, emphasizing the government's unified approach and its focus on ensuring that such partnerships deliver tangible results for St. Maarten.
Responding to a press release from MP Doran , Minister Gumbs expressed his wholehearted agreement that if PPPs can be used to rebuild infrastructure like docks, they can certainly be applied to rebuilding schools. However, he stressed that extra care must be exercised when these partnerships involve sensitive areas, such as children's education and well-being.
The Minister pushed back against any insinuation that there is a lack of alignment within the Council of Ministers regarding the value of PPPs. He highlighted that these partnerships are a key element of the government-led program, demonstrated by the cross-cutting nature of the recently presented inter-ministerial policy. This policy is designed to ensure that all initiatives align with national priorities and meet established quality standards.
From Words to Action: The Importance of Good-Faith Execution
Minister Gumbs also addressed claims that previous administrations initiated numerous partnerships while the current government is "doing nothing." He posed a direct question to the public: if these partnerships were established, where are their fruits?
He explained that partnerships, no matter how well-intentioned on paper, require active effort and good faith from all parties to succeed. "The reality is, ladies and gentlemen, partnerships do not bear fruit if they're not watered in good faith," he stated. "Different players bring different energy."
This statement underscores the government's focus not just on creating partnerships, but on actively managing them to ensure they are productive and achieve their intended goals. The emphasis is on moving beyond discussions and agreements to concrete actions and visible outcomes that benefit the people of St. Martin. The government's stance is clear: successful public-private partnerships are those that are diligently nurtured and aligned with the nation's strategic objectives.
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PHILIPSBURG:---  The House of Parliament will sit in an urgent Public meeting today, February 4, 2026.

The Public meeting, which was adjourned on January 29, 2026, in the second round, was scheduled to reconvene on February 3, 2026, but did not take place due to a lack of quorum. The meeting is scheduled to be reconvened today at 16.00 hrs. in the Legislative Hall at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of General Affairs, and the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor will be in attendance.

The Ministers will return to Parliament to provide answers to the questions posed by Members of Parliament in the second round.

The agenda point is:
Deliberations with the Minister of General Affairs and the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor to address the escalating situation involving the nation’s fire and ambulance personnel (IS/320/2025-2026 dated November 10, 2025)

This meeting was requested by MP E.J. Doran, MP A.M.R. Irion, MP D.T.J. York, MP O.E.C. Ottley, MP L.CJ. Lewis and MP F.A. Lacroes

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.youtube.com/c/SintMaartenParliament and www.pearlfmradio.sx