Last Friday, January 31, the diploma ceremony took place on Bonaire for the class of aspirants from the Royal Marechaussee. The aspirants were trained as General Investigative Officers for the Caribbean Netherlands. The issuance of diplomas marked the festive conclusion of an intensive training program.
Graduation Ceremony
During a festive ceremony, a total of 13 students received their diplomas from Colonel Willemijn Arends, commander of the Training, Education, and Knowledge Center KMar.
Among those present were commander LTC Brigadier General Jos Pieters, the Chief Basic Police Care of the Caribbean Netherlands Police Corps, Edwin van de Giessen, the director of the National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands Tim Muller, and the brigade commander of the Caribbean Area brigade Lieutenant Colonel Gerhard Smit.
Training Program
The students completed an intensive training period of approximately 9 months, with the first three months in the Netherlands and the last six months on Bonaire. This was the first time that the training was conducted partly in the Netherlands and partly in the Caribbean.
Deployment
From now on, they will be deployed within the KMar Caribbean brigade as border police staff on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. The influx of these new colleagues is a very welcome addition to the current staffing in the Caribbean Netherlands.