PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten (CMC):

The head of local govern-ment in this Dutch Caribbean territory believes local authorities can do a better job fighting crime and the federal government of the Netherlands should hand over control of the local police.

This is just one of the many aspirations of the tiny island as it prepares to assume greater autonomy under a new constitution.

"We believe that the respon-sibility for such critical areas like crime fighting and police should be a responsibility of the local government," Chief Commissioner, Sarah Wescot-Williams told the Caribbean Media Corporation.

Six years ago, on June 23, 2000, the people of St. Maarten and the rest of the Netherlands Antilles voted for constitutional change, which will give each of the territories the position of country within the Dutch kingdom.

Responsibilities

"Basically, responsibilities like police which are now the responsibilities of the federal government would then be of the island government of St. Maarten," Wescot-Williams said.

"After many deliberations, after many setbacks, all partners within the Dutch Kingdom have agreed that constitutional change for all of the islands of the Netherlands Antilles will come and will come by July 2007.

"For St. Maarten, that consti-tutional change means that we will be a country within the kingdom of the Netherlands with all of the responsibilities that are presently on a federal level. The only responsibilities that will remain unchanged are those respon-sibilities of the kingdom of the Netherlands."

There have been 12 murders on the tiny island, which is home to 37,500, since the start of the year.