Coast Guard suspends Curaçao patrols over violence

The union for Coast Guard personnel (NAPB) reported that the Dutch Coast Guard in the Caribbean part of the kingdom no longer patrols in the territorial waters around Bonaire and Curacao. This is the result of the increasing violence against Coast Guard personnel. According to a spokesman for the Coast guard, personnel still perform rescue operations. The coast is still being monitored, but from the air by the flying squad of support center Hato at the Curacao Airport. Curacao is a popular island for drug transit. According to the NAPB, members are regularly intimidated. In a statement the NAPB said that neither the government nor the Coast Guard itself can guarantee the safety of its members. A statement from the Military Police said that they are investigating the abuse in Curacao. This afternoon the Military Police arrested a 24 year old soldier on suspicion of systematic abuse to a number of soldiers. The incident was reported to the Military Police in Curacao by a number of soldiers last Saturday. Led by the Public Prosecutor in Curacao, the Military Police is conduction an investigation into the case. The suspect is being held provisionally.