Police chief after attack on Bonaire officer’s car: ‘You’re not just hitting the force, you’re hitting the whole island’

KRALENDIJK - The attack on a police officer’s car on Bonaire strikes far more than just the police, according to chief of police Alwyn Braaf. The shooting on the car in the night from Friday to Saturday is being taken extremely seriously. At the same time, Braaf sees a broader problem on the island: gun violence has been ongoing for an extended period, residents are reluctant to testify against suspects, and earlier attempts to get illegal weapons off the streets of Bonaire yielded hardly any results.

"An attack like this doesn’t just hit the force - it hits the whole island and its entire democratic system," says Braaf in an exclusive interview with Bonaire.nu. According to the police chief, it can now cautiously be said that the situation is threatening to spiral out of control. "Without exaggerating, I think we can at the very least say that it is going off the rails."

The police are taking into account that the shooting may be connected to the officer’s work and could have been an act of retaliation. Braaf is not yet willing to draw any firm conclusions. The detective team is investigating multiple scenarios to avoid tunnel vision.

Fear of testifying

One of the problems in serious violent cases on Bonaire, according to Braaf, is that witnesses are increasingly unwilling to make an official statement openly. He does not describe it as a fixed pattern, but rather as a trend the police have observed for years.

"I come from the detective world, and what we call ‘classic witnesses’ - you barely have them," says Braaf. According to him, people used to be more willing to say what they had seen and put their name to it. "But in recent years, that happens very rarely."

According to the police chief, fear plays an important role. "People feel threatened, even though there is no criminal threat directed at a specific person. They simply don’t feel safe enough to tell their story."

The fear that it will become known who spoke to the police - and that retaliation will follow - is visibly at play. Braaf describes this as, "put very bluntly," the sentiment that exists.

Testifying anonymously can in certain cases be a solution, but Braaf says it also has drawbacks. For the justice system, a witness who testifies under their own name carries more weight, as the defence must be able to test the reliability of that statement. In cases of serious threat, special programmes exist for protected witnesses.

Only two weapons handed in on Bonaire

Earlier attempts to get illegal firearms off the streets of Bonaire have also had little effect. During a regional hand-in campaign, approximately 110 firearms were collectively surrendered across the Caribbean islands. On Bonaire, that number was just two.

"Each island approached the campaign in its own way," says Braaf. On Bonaire, weapons could be handed in anonymously, with no documentation required. Curacao, on the other hand, opted for identification combined with a financial reward of 750 guilders per firearm surrendered.

That approach appears to have worked better, according to Braaf. He gives the example of family members bringing weapons belonging to household members to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to get them off the streets. "That’s a strategy they used, and you can see it made a difference." According to him, this is an approach that could be considered in the future as well.

The police chief emphasises that the police cannot solve the problem alone. Customs, the coast guard and other chain partners are also needed to combat the supply and distribution of firearms.

Violence has been ongoing for years

Gun violence on Bonaire has now been ongoing for approximately two and a half years, according to Braaf. Initially, the police had hoped it would prove to be temporary peaks, but a clear decline has yet to materialise.

"We quietly hoped it was just the occasional peak that would come back down. But so far, that downward trend is nowhere to be seen," says Braaf. Tracking down firearms and the networks surrounding them is therefore a priority for both the police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Cooperation with other islands and countries in the region is also part of the effort. According to Braaf, firearms enter the Caribbean through various routes, and it cannot be said that they are supplied exclusively from a single country.

Sentences not always satisfying

The question also arises as to whether sentences for illegal firearms possession are a sufficient deterrent. Last week, the Joint Court of Justice sentenced D.T. to 21 months in prison, of which three months were suspended, for jointly possessing a firearm with another person. Of that sentence, eighteen months are unconditional. Conditional early release on Bonaire can in principle be considered after two thirds of that portion has been served.

That case came up during the conversation with Braaf. He was asked whether such sentences are severe enough, particularly given that those convicted could potentially be released on parole after around twelve months.

Braaf is cautious on the matter. "Our sentences are our sentences. Sometimes I can fully agree with what the judges hand down."

But that is not always the case, he says. "Occasionally I also have a feeling of: hmm." At the same time, he points out that judges also take personal circumstances and the likelihood of reoffending into account. "I also believe people should be able to get a second chance in life."

Police will not be intimidated

Despite the attack on a colleague’s car, Braaf says the police will not be intimidated. According to him, the shooting has had the opposite effect.

"We are even more motivated to maintain and improve safety and quality of life," he says. "There is no room here for this kind of behaviour."

The investigation into the shooting is still ongoing. Braaf says he receives only brief updates and is allowing the investigation team to continue its work independently.