Suriname’s national police force is set for a major modernization upgrade in the coming weeks, with the introduction of body-worn cameras for frontline officers and a rollout of updated uniforms, senior law enforcement and government officials have confirmed. The initiative, which aims to boost operational transparency, officer safety and criminal evidence gathering, has received full backing from Police Commissioner Melvin Pinas, who has also called for the future integration of digital facial recognition and other advanced technologies to strengthen the country’s fight against rising criminal activity.
Justice and Police Minister Harish Monorath made the announcement of the body cam program during a recent promotion ceremony for 205 new police recruits, who were elevated to the rank of special police officers. Monorath confirmed that 250 body cameras are already ready for deployment, with donations coming from multiple domestic and international partners: 150 units were contributed by the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo, 50 were donated by Suriname’s local private sector, and an additional 50 units were provided by Suriname’s e-government initiative e-Gov. According to the minister, the first batch of body cameras will be officially deployed to active officers by the end of May.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Commissioner Pinas emphasized the transformative potential of the body cam program for Suriname’s police service, and reaffirmed his unwavering support for full national rollout within 2025. “This project delivers three core benefits that will strengthen our entire force: improved officer safety, greater operational transparency, and more solid, verifiable evidence for criminal prosecutions,” Pinas told reporters. “That is why I stand 100 percent behind this initiative, and we are committed to making full deployment a reality this year.”
The commissioner also noted that the body cam program is just the first step in a broader push to integrate advanced technology into Suriname’s law enforcement operations. He pointed to the already proven success of the country’s existing Safe City closed-circuit camera network, which has helped police solve hundreds of cases across the nation. “You can think of the Safe City camera network as police officers with three extra eyes, constantly monitoring and recording activity across our urban areas,” Pinas said. “We have already recorded so many investigative wins using this system, and I am a strong supporter of adding facial recognition technology and other next-generation tools to our existing technological toolkit to help us tackle crime more effectively.”
In addition to the body cam announcement, Maureen Palmtak, Director of Policy Preparation and Management at the Suriname Police Force, revealed that updated uniforms will be rolled out to frontline general duty officers between May and June. The first officers to wear the new standardized uniforms will be the 205 newly promoted special officers, who are set to be appointed as probationary police officers following their promotion.