Protocol supervising disaster and crisis management for Dutch Caribbean signed

On October 8^th, 2012, the Kingdom Representative, Wilbert Stolte, and the Head of the Inspectorate for Safety and Justice, Gertjan Bos, signed a protocol in which, according to the Law concerning Public Security Dutch Caribbean (in Dutch: Veilgheidswet Caribisch Nederland), the implementation of the monitoring of disaster and crisis management in the Dutch Caribbean are regulated.

The protocol is focused on aligning the tasks and roles of the Inspectorate for Security and Justice and the Kingdom Representative properly and on making them clear for the island governments.
The Executive Councils of the islands are in charge of the organization of disaster and crisis management, fire services and medical assistance. They are to draw a disaster and crisis plans, operational plans for disasters and a policy plan. The Kingdom Representative is in charge of supervising these plannings.

The Inspectorate supervises the execution of the duties of the executive councils and the emergency services. The Inspectorate may also investigate incidents such as fires, accidents, disasters and crises and it looks over the functioning of the various emergency services (police, fire department). The Inspectorate is the organization which independently oversees how government, emergency services and authorities exercise their functions and comply regulations to ensure a safe society.

The protocol includes the following stipulated agreements:

The Kingdom Representative and Inspection Safety and Justice undertake:

–       to inform each other timely about activities they undertake as part of their monitoring of the preparation for disaster and crisis management;

–       to align these activities;

–       to inform each other timely about the provisional and final findings;

–       Where possible, make use of each other’s findings

The Kingdom Representative and the Head of the Inspectorate Safety and Justice consult at least once a year with each other about the state of affairs. After two years, the operation of the protocol will be evaluated.

Source: press release RCN October 8, 2012