According to former police official and VHP parliamentarian Krishna Mathoera, the Korps Politie Suriname (KPS, Suriname Police Force) needs a broad integrity policy that is implemented across all parts of the organisation. Punishing individual violations alone is not sufficient, she said, to address integrity problems sustainably.
Mathoera, who worked for the police force for 34 years, made the remarks on Regio TV’s programme Aan Tafel. During the interview, she was asked what concrete measures are needed to counter integrity problems within the force.
According to her, major investment must be made in training, and integrity must become a fixed part of the way the police are led, organised and monitored. She cited recruitment policy, training policy, the code of conduct, supervision and the management of police units as areas requiring attention.
Mathoera stated that integrity problems can increase during economic and social crises. She referred to experiences from the 1980s and 1990s.
The former minister stressed that police force leaders must act with integrity themselves and that violations must be addressed consistently. “If that does not happen, those integrity problems will continue to occur in that organisation,” she warned.
Mathoera also listed five points of attention for the broader approach to serious crime: political will, integrity within the police, sufficient logistical resources, international cooperation and effective internal control mechanisms. According to her, political will does not only mean that administrators declare that they want to combat crime, but also that they actually make resources available for it. She further believes that special investigative powers must be accompanied by sufficient supervision and control. According to her, this is necessary in combating serious crime.
