KRALENDIJK – The Bonaire security triangle, consisting of the island’s gezaghebber (governor), the Chief of Police, and the Chief Public Prosecutor, will implement preventive pat-downs and camera surveillance between December 20 and January 20. The aim is to reduce the number of shooting incidents and ensure a peaceful holiday season.

This was announced during a press conference on Thursday afternoon. Governor Soliano explained that the additional police powers are not granted lightly. “These measures infringe on civil rights, such as the right to privacy. Therefore, a thorough consideration must be made.”

According to Soliano, the relatively high and rapidly increasing number of shooting incidents justifies these measures.

Following the press conference, the Public Entity Bonaire (OLB) disclosed the areas where preventive pat-downs will be conducted and where cameras will be installed.

Evaluation

The members of the security triangle also indicated that the measures might extend beyond the initial one-month period. “We will evaluate at the end of the month, and the period can be extended if necessary,” they stated.

Chief Public Prosecutor Walter Kupers, responding to press inquiries, said there is no evidence suggesting that the problem of illegal firearms is linked to external elements from outside the island. “We are analyzing all incidents and patterns,” said Kupers, adding that connections between cases are being studied, though not all findings can be made public.

Police Chief Alwyn Braaf noted that the police have already conducted house searches to seize illegal firearms and have arrested several suspects.

Significant Increase

According to statistics from the security triangle, the number of incidents involving illegal firearms up to December 1 of this year is already more than 50% higher than in previous years. This underscores the seriousness of the situation and the reasoning behind the newly announced measures.