Aruba Police Force
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The Aruba Police Force ( Dutch: ''Korps Politie Aruba'' or ''KPA'',
Papiamento Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; ) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao ( ABC Islands). The language, spelled in Aruba and in Bonaire and ...
: ''Cuerpo Policial Aruba'') is the main law enforcement branch of
Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...
. The force operates under the authority of the Minister of Justice. the force is headed by the Chief Commissioner currently Ramon Arnhem


History

In 1923, the Police Corps consisted of 8 officers and was understaffed. The first police station was an Aruban house located at the corner of Kazernestraat and Theaterstraat in San Nicolaas. It was used as a precinct until 1939. After being taken over by the Public Works Service, it was torn down in 1950. The Oranjestad precinct were housed in the landmark Fort Zoutman and moved to larger facilities by 1967. The
fire brigade A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...
was placed under the authority of the police from 1954 until 1977, when the forces were separated by the Minister of Justice. Motorcycle officers were added in the early 1970s.


Organization

The force operates under the authority of the Ministry of Justice and Social Affairs. Day-to-day operations is in the hands of the Chief Commissioner together with other police commissioners and Commissariat staff forming a Management Team.


Divisions

The Police Force consists out of 3 divisions each headed by a Commissioner of Police * General Police Operations (Patrol, Law Enforcement, Tourism Police) * Criminal Investigation Operations (Detective, Forensics and Investigations) * Special Forces (K9, SWAT, Border Patrol, Riot Control, Bike Patrol)


Precincts

The Police Force has 4
precincts Precinct may refer to: * An electoral precinct * A police precinct * A religious precinct * A arcade (architecture)#shopping arcades, shopping arcade or shopping mall ** A Pedestrian zone Places * A neighborhood, in Australia * A unit of public ...
in all districts, with its HQ located in Macuarima. the Police Force also maintains a few community-tourism based post for better policing. Each precincts is headed by a sergeant who reports directly to the commissioner of general operations. in 2022 it was announced the current HQ in Macuarima will be centralized and moved to Camacuri. as a broader plan to bring all department of justice under the ministry of justice under a headquarters.


Management


List of commissioners of police


Cooperating with other services

When providing aid the police cooperates with other services. When dealing with an accident for example, the police cooperates with ambulance services, doctors and the fire department. The police also has a strong cooperation with the Koninklijke Marechaussee stationed on the island, when it comes to human and drug trafficking.


Slachtofferhulp

For providing support to victims the police cooperates with Slachtofferhulp (comparable to
Victim Support Victim Support is an independent charity in England and Wales that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses of crime. Activities ;Support for victims of crime: Trained volunteers and employees offer free, inde ...
). The employees of Slachtofferhulp are specially trained to provide support to victims of accidents and crime. They make sure that victims are coached, but they also help with filling in forms for insurance or a lawyer.


Notable cases


Susan McCormick case

On February 10, 1996, the KPA faced the first recorded random homicide of a tourist on Aruba. 47-year-old Susan McCormick was an American
bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the Bar (establishment), bar, usually in a licensed bar (establishment), establishment as ...
from
Hampton Bays, New York Hampton Bays is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. It is considered as part of the region of Long Island known as The Hamptons. The population was 13,603 at the ...
who was found dead at a roadside near the Steamboat restaurant with a bullet in her neck and her wallet still on her person. Officials from the hotel where McCormick had been staying had reportedly told her family that she had died in a car accident. The police were initially puzzled and refused to publicly discuss the case, but told McCormick's sister Sharon Hoyt that there was no sign of a robbery. On February 16, three local youths aged 15, 18, and 19 were arrested after two informants came forward. One of the teens who intended to rob her waved a .38-caliber pistol, which accidentally fired, and fled the scene by car. McCormick's brother-in-law Jim Sofranko, who visited the site of the shooting in search of clues, stated, "I don't think they expected the gun to go off. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Sofranko said the police told him of another case years ago in which a honeymooning groom killed his bride for the insurance money and that "this was the biggest case they ever had."


Mansur family arrests

In October 1997, the Aruba Police Force arrested four men, including Eric and Alex Mansur of the powerful Mansur family, for
extradition In an extradition, one Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction delivers a person Suspect, accused or Conviction, convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforc ...
to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. They were among 85 individuals indicted in the U.S. District Court of Puerto Rico on federal charges of involvement in a
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...
ring following an
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
sting called Operation Golden Trash.


Natalee Holloway case

Natalee Ann Holloway (October 21, 1986 – disappeared May 30, 2005; declared dead January 12, 2012) was an 18-year-old American teenager whose mysterious disappearance made international news after she vanished on May 30, 2005, in Aruba. Holloway lived in Mountain Brook, Alabama, and graduated from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005, days before the trip. Her disappearance resulted in a media sensation in the United States. Her remains have not been found. Joran Van der sloot and two other individuals, Deepak Kalpoe and his brother Satish Kalpoe, were thought to have been involved in her disappearance. There were rumors that a botched police investigation significantly reduced the chances of finding what happened to Natalee and from getting information from the 3 men last seen with her.


Ranks


See also

* Law enforcement in the Netherlands * Illegal drug trade in Aruba *
Europol Europol, officially the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, is the law enforcement agency of the European Union (EU). Established in 1998, it is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and serves as the central hub for coordinating c ...
*
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...


References


External links


Korps Politie Aruba (Aruba Police Force)
official site
Aruba Chapter
of the
International Police Association The International Police Association (IPA) is a worldwide fraternal police organization. The IPA operates as a non-governmental organization, Non-Governmental Organization open to active duty or retired members of the Police, police force. M ...
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