After measures taken by the police, a budget deficit of €86 million remains in 2026, which will continue to rise in the coming years. Choices must be made that align with the Strategic Agenda. This concrete implementation takes place in consultation with the minister and the authorities in the National Consultation on Safety and Police (LOVP). These choices will be reflected in the budget for 2027 – 2031.
Chief of Police Janny Knol: ‘The police are always there when needed. A budget deficit ultimately affects our foundation: visibility, online effectiveness, and care for police personnel. To keep the Netherlands safe and maintain care for our police personnel, at least the most pressing deficits in the police budget must be resolved.’
Personnel
In 2026, the police force will consist of 67,502 FTEs, nearly half of whom work in community policing and investigation. The police want to be able to deliver good work with skilled employees, in the right staffing and with the necessary agility. Previous cabinets have contributed to this through substantial investments in the police, with additional police personnel and strengthening of several key themes such as Officers in the Neighborhood, Guarding and Securing, and Undermining.
However, in the coming years, the police expect a significant outflow of personnel. Therefore, through labor market communication, there will also be a strong focus in 2026 on an intake program with a maximum training capacity at the Police Academy of about 2,500 trainees per year. Additionally, there will be a maximum focus on lateral entry for vocational and higher education positions, in the fields of investigation and information functions. This amounts to around 1,500 FTEs annually for the coming years.
Development Lines
Safety issues are changing, and crime is becoming increasingly international, digital, and more undermining. This has implications for police work and means that the police are looking for new ways of collaborating that fit these safety tasks. In the management plan, the police formulates seven lines on how they will further develop in the coming years, including service delivery, digital crime, and sustainability.
Service Delivery
The police want to be accessible and close to various target groups, both physically and digitally, with the aim of improving the first contact moment with citizens. The police is developing modern, visible, and accessible locations that meet the needs of both citizens and local government. For innovative police counters, an additional €22.5 million is available in 2025. In 2026, these renewed police locations will be further developed and tested. Successful concepts will be rolled out from 2027 onwards.
Digital Crime
In recent years, crime has become strongly digitized. The victimization of online crime has risen sharply, and traditional crime now often has an online component. In 2023, 16 percent of the Dutch population became a victim of some form of online crime. Therefore, the police are also focusing heavily in 2026 on combating cybercrime and digitized crime, particularly aimed at improving the entire intake and reporting process. The analytical capacity of the units is being targeted more effectively, so that the investigation process proceeds more efficiently.
Sustainability
The police are reducing their negative impact on the environment by making their own organization more sustainable, encouraging suppliers to make sustainable choices, and working towards a future-proof organization. To meet legal obligations and their own ambitions, the aim is to achieve a 60 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from housing and transport by 2030. To achieve this, at least 646 electric vehicles will be purchased in 2026, and the real estate portfolio will be made more sustainable through maintenance. The police will also install solar panels at future-proof locations; a total of 55,000 m2 of solar panels by the end of 2026.
