Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — For more than a decade, personnel matters of the Ministry of Justice have lingered until now under the directives of the Honorable Minister of Justice, Ms. Anna E. Richardson. The Ministry is finally experiencing stability, structure and progress. In November 2021, Minister Richardson formulated a Strategic Plan for the Ministry during a multi-day session with all department heads. This plan provides clear goals and direction for the judicial chain. The human resource restructuring project commenced at the start of February 2022,
People are the core of the Ministry of Justice; no law enforcement, youth protection or border control will be successful without competent people. Minister Richardson has made it evident that education is of high importance to her and she has been taking steps to further cement the intellectual growth of all personnel of the Ministry of Justice. In January of this year, the Course Coordinator, Ms. Miralda Martina joined the Ministry of Justice and is currently executing the research and assessment process of agency staff. She will design and coordinate the processes for personnel development, education and training.
With support of the interim Human Resources Director, Mr. Alvin Daal, who is a certified Change Manager along with two local HR Experts, the implementation of a personnel information system and central management of personnel files has also begun.
Subsequent to the approval and completion of the Ministry’s Function Book, department heads have now been instructed to draw up a placement plan for the transfer of their personnel. At the same time, in consultation with the department heads, the processes related to the handling of legal status issues will be reviewed so that they can be dealt with more quickly and effectively. Sick-leave is now also being addressed, whereby better agreements have been made with SZV and Medworks.
A pilot assessment system will soon be launched in collaboration with Government Accounting Bureau SOAB. In addition to understanding their own potential, the personnel at the Ministry will now be actively involved in their further development and careers within the Ministry. Various recruitment campaigns are being planned to increase personnel throughout the Ministry of Justice as the demand for the specialized services is growing daily.
“As we delve deeper into the reality of things, the state of frustration by the personnel of the Ministry becomes more understandable. It’s high time that the issues be addressed and structure be established. This is the goal. With the placement process to take place, I see this as an opportune time to properly and finally regulate each and every member of staff in the right way. As such, the ball is rolling and I’m grateful for the team of dedicated persons who are committed to getting this done,” stated Minister Richardson.
