Tra Fas De: Who protects children when agencies work at cross purposes?

On Friday evening, while travelling from Moengo to Paramaribo, I was called by neighbourhood residents who were concerned about two minor children. Their report and the subsequent handling raise questions for me about cooperation within the police force in the protection of children.

According to the neighbourhood residents, an 11-year-old boy had been sent outside by his grandmother and was unable to get back in. They said this was not the first time. The grandmother was not at home at the time. It was already 8 p.m. and the boy was wandering around in the street. According to the neighbours, there was also a one-year-old baby in the house, whom they could hear crying continuously.

The neighbours were concerned and asked me for help. I immediately called the general number of the Korps Politie Suriname (KPS), 115. I explained the situation as fully as possible and was told that a police unit would go to the location.

When no one had arrived after about half an hour, I called the police post again. There I was told: “Madam, you simply have to wait patiently. We have several reports.” The call was then ended.

Later, the neighbours contacted me again. The police had by then been at the scene and had spoken with the grandmother. According to the neighbours, the police had told her that the boy had to be allowed back inside.

In a subsequent situation, the neighbours were told to contact Opa Doelie, because the police post said it was not responsible for such matters. That feedback raises questions for me about the way reports involving children are handled.

Who ensures the handover?

If the police go to the scene, but the matter may require the attention of a specialised department, why do the police not inform that department directly?

A report or targeted handover can clarify what the police found and what further action is needed. Why should neighbourhood residents have to find out for themselves again where to turn in the event of another report?

A report concerning children who may be unsupervised requires more than an instruction that a child must go inside. It must be established whether the children are safe and whether further follow-up is necessary.

This does not all have to be done by the police post itself. But if another department is responsible for the follow-up, the police may be expected to transfer the information carefully and make clear who will take up the case further.

Clarity for the reporting person

For many people, the police are the first point of contact when they are concerned about their own safety or that of others. The protection of persons and the safety of society are among the police’s duties.

This does not mean that the police must resolve every issue independently. It does mean that a report must be treated seriously and that the reporting person receives clarity about the next steps.

I understand that the police may receive several reports at the same time and that choices have to be made. But that statement does not address the core concern: are the children safe at that moment, and what happens to the report?

Ending a conversation without answering those questions also comes across as rude and distant. Behind a report are people raising the alarm because they do not know what is happening to a child.

The neighbours took responsibility by reporting the situation. I then passed the information on to the police, who visited the scene.

Yet it remains unclear whether the report was recorded, whether the department dealing with youth matters was informed, and who is checking whether further follow-up is needed.

Child protection requires cooperation

Child protection requires cooperation between the departments involved. When a report falls outside the remit of a police post, it must be possible to forward it to the appropriate department. The reporting person should not have to find their own way through the police organisation.

My questions to the police are therefore: how are such reports registered and followed up? When is a specialised department engaged? And who monitors whether the children’s situation has actually improved after the police visit?

In reports involving minors, follow-up must not depend on whether a concerned neighbour knows exactly which department needs to be called. People must be able to rely on a police organisation that listens, acts and cooperates internally.

Children need protection. This also includes institutions aligning their responsibilities with one another.