Working visit Governor Holiday to Point Blanche and Police station
- feb 18, 2011
On Friday 18 February 2011, His Excellency Eugene B. Holiday paid a working visit to the Point Blanche Correctional Facility and the Police Station in Philipsburg. This working visit is part of the Governor’s program to obtain a firsthand view of developments in the community and forms part of his objective to promote Excellence in Governance. Previous working visits included the St. Joseph School in 2010, Milton Peters College in January and the Census Office earlier this week. The visit by His Excellency Holiday was a first acquaintance with the Correction Facility and the Police Station.
At the Point Blanche Correctional Facility, the Governor was welcomed by Mr. Ricardo, Director of Point Blanche. After the delegation was given a tour both outside and along various departments inside the prison, the Governor had a formal meeting with the Director and some staff. The meeting addressed the operational aspects of the facility (personnel, finance, renovations) as well as the rights of the detainees (education and vocational training, access to medical care).
Subsequently, the Governor visited the Police station in Philipsburg. The Governor was welcomed by the Chief Commissioner of Police Mr. De Witte and was given a tour of the police cells. In addition the Chief Commissioner gave an explanation on the use of the old cells and new cells under construction. Subjects covered and discussed included hygiene in the cells, exposure to air to the detainees, the presence of undocumented persons and future expansion of the number of cells.
The Governor expressed his concerns with the challenges confronted in the detention facilities, largely as a result of overpopulation, and emphasized the importance of community wide attention to address this social problem.
