Today, the regional mayors, the Public Prosecution Service, and the COR, together with the police, present the position paper Always there when it matters. They call for fundamentally strengthening the police and describe what is needed for the police to continue to perform well in the future. The police are doing everything they can and are already making very sharp choices to reduce this shortfall.
Present and approachable
The trust in the police is high and stable, but that trust is not self-evident and is under pressure, write regional mayors, the Public Prosecution Service, the police, and the COR in the position paper. The police are an anchor point in an unstable society. Citizens must be able to continue to trust that the police are present and approachable, that criminals are being tracked down, and that justice is being done.
The fact that trust in the police is still great is thanks to the police officers who dedicate themselves day in and day out to keeping the Netherlands safe, the partners see. Police officers are driven by the will to be there when it matters. Their work makes the difference between chaos and order, between fear and security, between injustice and justice.
Digital and on the streets
The partners emphasize that the police achieve impressive results: from cracking cryptocommunication and dismantling criminal networks on the dark web to ensuring the safe conduct of the NATO summit in The Hague. Meanwhile, daily work continues unabated: emergency assistance, traffic accidents, thousands of demonstrations, and 15,000 reports per month about people with disturbed behavior. On top of that, society is confronted with over 1,100 explosions at, for example, shops and homes. Thousands of people each year fall victim to digital fraud.
Therefore, action is needed now:
€350 million per year to not lose the fight against crime, to maintain social trust, and to remain a good employer. This is separate from the broad investment in the resilience of the Netherlands to be well prepared for physical and digital attacks from state actors and criminals.
Space and trust to make choices within the police budget together with local authorities to respond quickly and flexibly to developments.
Policies and financing on which the police can build. Policies that are clear and do not change repeatedly. And structural money, so that the police know exactly what the budget is, even in the long term. Only then can the police effectively spend money and time on what is truly needed in a changing society: staying ahead of criminals, providing safety, and doing justice to victims.
Chief of Police Janny Knol: Our people are ready every day to keep the Netherlands safe. We can only do this if we have the space and resources needed for that. I want us to deliver the best police work with the money available. I ask for attention to this. Its not about the police itself, but about the safety of everyone in this country.
Chairman of the Regional Mayors Hubert Bruls: “This paper from the authorities and police together is an urgent call: something is really at stake to keep the police afloat in the coming years in an unstable society. The 350 million euros is minimally needed to maintain the police we currently have, while we would actually have liked to talk about ambitions. However, the size of the financial shortfall is such that realism is necessary.
Tom Hoogkamer, Deputy Chairman of the COR: As the Central Works Council, we see that more and more is needed to always be there where it matters in an increasingly complex society. We support the position paper because it clearly states why sound structural financing and regulatory space are absolutely necessary. Police officers would do nothing more than keep this country safe, but this cannot be done without a sufficient number of people, resources, and support to continue doing this in a safe and professional manner.
Read the full position paper or view this infographic.
