Suriname Sends Army to Back Police on Crime

Suriname · Security

Published Monday, 9 November, 2:00 p.m. ET · Source: Office of the President of Suriname and Suriname Police Force statements

Suriname’s president is bringing the army in to back the police after two fatal shootings in two days. On Monday 9 November 2026, President Jennifer Simons announced that the National Army, the country’s military, will support the police against violent crime in Suriname, a small South American country on the Atlantic coast.

Visible patrols will grow in the historic centre of the capital, Paramaribo, and in its nightlife district. For travellers and investors, the signal is that the government is treating the recent violence as an urgent security matter.

The plan also touches the gold sector, and an agreement with the United States on satellite images must still go through parliament.

What President Simons Announced

Simons spoke at a press conference at the Presidential Palace on Monday. She said that, after talks with the security authorities, the police will receive extra support from the National Army, although the details of that cooperation still have to be organised.

Police will also be more visible in tourist areas, including the historic inner city and the nightlife centre. Officers will be sent to the places and times where crime data show the most offences, because the force has few staff.

The former Military Police post near Fort Zeelandia, a historic fort in central Paramaribo, will return to use as a permanent post for police and soldiers. It is not yet known when the post will open.

The Violence Behind the Decision

On Friday 6 November, police said, three masked gunmen robbed a man at the junction of David Simonstraat and Wilhelminastraat in Paramaribo. He was shot in the chest and died.

On the evening of Saturday 7 November a 22-year-old, whom police identify only by his initials H.C., was shot dead on Jozef Israëlstraat in Paramaribo. Police said the shooting was committed with a handgun.

The Suriname Police Force said a 23-year-old suspect was arrested on Sunday morning, 8 November, and confessed, and that he led officers to a handgun and 61 cartridges. Every suspect is presumed innocent until a court rules.

Simons said she was worried by recent cases in which people were shot dead in broad daylight. Crime normally rises in November and December, she noted, but she called the recent cases particularly worrying.

The VHP, or Progressive Reform Party, an opposition party with seats in parliament, has meanwhile filed a proposal for an interpellation. That is a formal request for the government to answer to parliament on its approach to armed robberies and killings.

The Interior and the Gold Sector

Simons said security in the interior, the forested southern part of the country, will also be tightened. The government is considering restoring security posts there and watching air traffic over remote regions more closely.

It is working on an agreement with the United States for access to satellite images, which would help map illegal landing strips for small aircraft and criminal activity. Parliament still has to take up that agreement.

“We cannot leave the interior as a free-for-all,” Simons said in Dutch, arguing that a safer gold sector will earn the state more money. She expects the investment to be recouped within one to two years.

Who Pays for It

Simons said the services need investment in helicopters, equipment and gear, and she does not rule out that Suriname may have to borrow money for it. She does not want to wait for extra income from reforming the gold sector, and no cost figures were given.

What It Means for You

Visitors to Paramaribo’s old town and nightlife area should expect more uniformed patrols. Travellers can check current advice from their own foreign ministry before they go.

For investors, the plan signals possible new government borrowing, since Simons did not rule it out. A satellite-imagery deal with Washington would first need parliament’s approval.

What Is Not Known

The government has not said how many soldiers will join the police, what the measures will cost or when they start. It is also not known whether parliament will approve the satellite-image agreement and when the VHP’s interpellation will be debated.

Related reading: Suriname keeps its fuel subsidy for now, who holds power in Suriname and the Suriname news hub. See also the president’s call to restaff the Constitutional Court.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Suriname’s army now patrolling the streets?

The president announced that the National Army will support the police, with more visible patrols in central Paramaribo. How the cooperation will work still has to be organised.

Why did Suriname take this step now?

Police report two fatal shootings in Paramaribo, on 6 and 7 November. The president called such cases particularly worrying even though crime usually rises toward the end of the year.

Is it safe to visit Paramaribo?

The government says it is adding patrols in the historic centre and nightlife area. Visitors should follow their own government’s travel advice and local guidance.

Sources: Office of the President of Suriname, press statement of 9 November 2026 (https://gov.sr/president-simons-kondigt-versterking-veiligheidsaanpak-in-stad-en-binnenland-aan/); Suriname Police Force, statements of 6 November 2026 (https://politie.sr/manspersoon-laat-leven-bij-gewapende-roofoverval-aan-de-wilhelmina-en-david-simonstraat/) and 8 November 2026 (https://politie.sr/verdachte-23-aangehouden-voor-dodelijke-schietpartij-aan-jozef-israelstraat-vuurwapen-en-61-patronen-in-beslag-genomen/).

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error