No Police Doctor for Four Years: Justice Minister Tackling Responds
Understanding Prison Costs Justice Minister Tackling Sets the Record Straight St Maarten
No Police Doctor for Four Years: Justice Minister Tackling Responds
At Wednesday’s press briefing, Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling faced a crucial question on a longstanding gap in St. Martin’s justice system: the absence of a police doctor. Since the 2021 retirement of Dr. Michael Mercure—who had both medical and forensic expertise—the island has operated without a designated forensic police physician.
The implications are serious. From inmate care to death investigations, questions have mounted about how St. Martin functions without this essential expertise.
🧑⚕️ One Doctor, Many Duties: Prison and Detainee Care
The question centered around how one doctor—Dr. Nau, a general and ER physician—can possibly serve detainees across multiple locations, including Point Blanche Prison, police cells in Philipsburg, and the Simpson Bay holding facility.
Minister Tackling clarified the situation:
“There are no inmates in Simpson Bay anymore. Everyone is back at Point Blanche.”
Only those in the early Voorlopige Hechtenis (pre-trial detention) phase remain temporarily in police cells. Simpson Bay is now used strictly for immigration detention (grensl-specium). Moreover, a nurse is stationed on-site, while the doctor is only called in as needed.
This restructuring reduces the demand for one physician to travel between multiple detention centers, but Tackling did not deny the limitations of the current arrangement.
⚰️ No Forensic Coverage: Death Investigations in Question
Concerns grew sharper with the example of a recent drowning incident. The public questioned how authorities could rule out foul play without a forensic doctor.
Tackling acknowledged the gap:
“Currently, that was a bit of a technicality that got a little messed up within the ministry. We’re working on fixing that.”
She said the Ministry of Justice is actively resolving the issue through DRIHUK—a tripartite body involving the Minister of Justice, the Public Prosecutor, and the Police Chief. The aim is to re-establish a formal contract with a qualified physician authorized to legally pronounce death and assist in police investigations.
🧬 Forensic Services: Outsourced to Curaçao
On the matter of autopsies and forensic analysis, Tackling noted that such services are still outsourced to Curaçao. Though she promised to double-check, this suggests that St. Martin lacks even basic on-island forensic capabilities—a serious gap in its investigative infrastructure.
🚨 Final Takeaway
Justice Minister Tackling confirmed what many feared: St. Martin has lacked a police doctor for four years, and the absence of forensic services hinders both health care and justice delivery. While stopgap measures exist for inmate care, the legal and investigative functions remain fragile.
Plans are in motion to fix the oversight. But until then, the island continues to navigate criminal justice with key pieces missing.