Sint Maarten

As of March 1st 2015 several services within the Judicial Department have strongly intensified their cooperation in the field of border controls and human trafficking/human smuggling.

Under leadership of the Police Force the three above named services will cooperate on border controls in the ‘Back office’ team at the airport. The new ‘Human trafficking/Human Smuggling’ team is housed in the police substation in Cole Bay/Cay Bay. Because of this cooperation investigating so called ‘migration crime’ will get a huge impulse. Controls on human trafficking and human smuggling will be intensified.

Both teams are going to concentrate on the exploitation of employees in the working fields such as security, supermarkets, restaurants etc.

This cooperation means a fortification for the investigation of these forms of criminality. Separate incidents will be handled, but also joint projects and controls will be conducted. In addition the members of both teams will be able to manage and to register data and information in an accurate manner. Because of the intensification of the cooperation between the different services, of which the Coastguard and Customs are also a part of, the coordination to solve the problems in the area of human trafficking and smuggling and border controls is going to be a lot stronger.

All members of both teams have a lot of experience within their working field, but their  knowledge in that field is going to get a refreshment because of the extra training programs in which practical behavior and recognition of human trafficking and human smuggling are involved.