Page 9 - aruba-today DEC 14 2020

A9
LOCAL Monday 14 deceMber 2020

Caribbean Coast Guard strengthens cooperation

ORANJESTAD — In the com- and the national services, tor and the Caribbean has
ing year, the Caribbean the Carib Coast Guard will to deal with a lot of drug
Coast Guard will strengthen be intensively involved in trafficking. In the field of
its information position and strengthening border con- detection, a significant im-
cooperation with partner trol. The purpose of bor- provement in quality will be
services within law en- der control measures is to made from next year. This
forcement. This is stated in contribute to combating is done, for example, with
the 'Annual Plan 2021 Car- cross-border / transnation- the new shore detection
ib Coastguard', which the ally organized (undermin- system, which allows the
Council of Ministers of State ing) crime in the Caribbean coast guard to maintain an
has approved on the pro- countries of the Kingdom up-to-date environmental
posal of Defense Minister and to improve mutual co- image. This also includes
Bijleveld-Schouten. operation between the ser- mobile radars, drones and
vices. cameras.
The aim is to further
strengthen the so-called Dynamic work field Additional staff room for an expansion of the joint financing of equip-
intelligence-driven police The coast guard operates in Thanks to previously an- dozens of full-time positions ment, such as Cutters, the
action in the maritime do- a dynamic field. Venezuela nounced investments by at the Coast Guard support shore radar and the heli-
main in the coming year. is in a political, social and the Dutch government, the centers. The intention is that copter capacity. A boat
This is achieved through financial-economic crisis, coastguard will be able by 2025 the coast guard will jetty will be constructed
good cooperation with the in addition, the long coast- to hire extra personnel for be able to perform its tasks on Bonaire in 2021 as part
other executive services lines are difficult to moni- the next five years. There is completely independently of the new multidisciplinary
within the Kingdom, by fo- 24 hours a day by intelli- maritime hub Bonaire to be
cusing more on analysis gence-led police opera- created together with the
capacity, through more tions. chain partners.
intensive cooperation with Investments are also being The Coast Guard for the
international partners and made in the field of equip- Kingdom of the Nether-
through better digital infra- ment. In the coming years, lands in the Caribbean pro-
structure and information a future-proof continuation vides maritime safety (safe-
management. of the tasks of the Coast ty & security) in the Carib-
Together with the Roy- Guard will remain possible bean through investigation,
al Netherlands Mare- because all countries within supervision (enforcement)
chaussee, Dutch Customs the Kingdom contribute to and services.