ARUBA – The Public Prosecution Service has taken note of recent media reports regarding staffing problems within the detective department of the Aruba Police Force (KPA).
The Public Prosecution Service considers it important to respond to this, so that the public receives a complete picture of the situation.
The Public Prosecution Service is responsible for investigation and prosecution. Sufficient detectives are indispensable for effective investigation.
Several months ago, the Public Prosecution Service indicated in a letter to the Minister that the shortage of detectives at the KPA is so severe that a large number of reports can no longer be investigated. That letter was necessary because, in many cases, the Public Prosecution Service can no longer explain to citizens why their report is not being processed. This damages trust in the government.
The root cause of this problem lies in the fact that successive governments have for years failed to provide the resources corresponding to the established staffing levels of services such as KPA, KIA, and the Public Prosecution Service. This staffing level is based on the number of personnel required to perform all statutory duties. The KPA staffing plan implies that there should be many more detectives.
The services within the justice chain do not have their own personnel budget and are therefore entirely dependent on the government. If insufficient funds are made available, it is clear in advance that not all statutory duties can be performed.
Additionally, the government imposed an extra 10% cut on the justice services in March 2025. This 10% cut therefore comes on top of the already existing deficits.
