Dick receives additional
financing for Safety Plan
PHILIPSBURG--Antillean Justice Minister David Dick received some financing for the Netherlands Antilles Safety Plan during his visit to The Hague last week. However, Dick does not want to give details about amounts received.
“The money we received was already on the budget for the Antilles. It’s not important what we received. What is important is that I have to keep on working to receive more funding,” Dick said.
Information received by The Daily Herald indicated that the Dutch had promised 48 million euros for projects to be executed in the Safety Plan. However, according to Dick, he hadn’t “received so much funding.” He had indicated in an earlier statement that he would need NAf. 300 million for the Safety Plan and that would include only the basic things that need to be improved.
The Netherlands has already committed itself to continue supporting the Safety Plan. The plan was discussed during the visit of Dutch Minister of Justice Ernst Hirsch Ballin and Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten to the Netherlands Antilles almost two weeks ago.
Bijleveld-Schouten stressed during that visit that it was important that the durability of the projects to be financed be guaranteed.
Hirsch Ballin too was optimistic about the results of the Safety Plan. “It has been to the benefit of the people of the Netherlands Antilles. Cooperation has been taking place in the areas of police, Prosecutor’s Office, prison, Common Court of Justice, immigration, border control and investigation,” he said.
The continued support for the plan will be split into two stages. The first stage will be till December 2008. A different approach will be implemented after that, because of the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles.
