History
The Law Enforcement Council was established in 2010 through the Kingdom Act on the Law Enforcement Council.
The Law Enforcement Council (the Council) is a legal body that includes Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands, which also represents the Caribbean Netherlands islands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba).
The Kingdom Act was established after the governments of these countries discussed their future constitutional status. In the Final Declaration of November 2, 2006, they agreed to form a Law Enforcement Council to monitor the quality of the justice system (except for the Joint Court of Justice) and to ensure cooperation between Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands.
As two new countries, Curaçao and Sint Maarten needed to set up their own inspections of the judicial system. Because of the distance between the BES islands and the Netherlands, the countries decided it made sense to form a joint inspection body. This body would oversee the justice systems in the two new countries and the BES islands.
The Council’s main role is to inspect organizations in the justice system, except for the Joint Court of Justice in Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the BES islands. It assesses the quality of how these organisations perform their duties and how effective they are. The Council also monitors the cooperation between the justice systems of the countries.
To make this arrangement official, a 'Consensus Kingdom Act' was created based on Article 38 of the Statute. The bill was prepared by the Project Group on Justice, Law, and Constitutional Affairs, and later approved by the Political Steering Committee.
The Kingdom Act on the Law Enforcement Council was finalized on July 7, 2010, and officially published on September 1, 2010.
The Kingdom Act was established after the governments of these countries discussed their future constitutional status. In the Final Declaration of November 2, 2006, they agreed to form a Law Enforcement Council to monitor the quality of the justice system (except for the Joint Court of Justice) and to ensure cooperation between Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands.
As two new countries, Curaçao and Sint Maarten needed to set up their own inspections of the judicial system. Because of the distance between the BES islands and the Netherlands, the countries decided it made sense to form a joint inspection body. This body would oversee the justice systems in the two new countries and the BES islands.
The Council’s main role is to inspect organizations in the justice system, except for the Joint Court of Justice in Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the BES islands. It assesses the quality of how these organisations perform their duties and how effective they are. The Council also monitors the cooperation between the justice systems of the countries.
To make this arrangement official, a 'Consensus Kingdom Act' was created based on Article 38 of the Statute. The bill was prepared by the Project Group on Justice, Law, and Constitutional Affairs, and later approved by the Political Steering Committee.
The Kingdom Act on the Law Enforcement Council was finalized on July 7, 2010, and officially published on September 1, 2010.