Police understaffed, overwhelmed with asylum influx

The police have their hands full with the extra work caused by the influx of asylum seekers in the Netherlands, and this jeopardizing other police tasks, the Association of Middle and Senior Police Officers warned in the Telegraaf on Tuesday. According to the association, 10 percent of the police capacity is currently used for maintaining public order around asylum centers and debates and registering and assisting asylum seekers. That is about 6 thousand police officers that cannot be used for other tasks, like inspecting bicycle lights, tackling burglaries and preventative work. The issues surrounding asylum centers cause a lot of work and there is no money to pay the overtime, according to the association. Compensation in time is also difficult because that puts other tasks in a pinch. According to Mayor Peter Noordanus of Tilburg, things can not go on like this. "The police deployment for asylum seekers can not be maintained. We are facing impossible choices", he said to the newspaper. "It is high time that action is taken." All mayors of big cities will soon sit down with Minister Ard van der Steur of Security and Justice to demand clarity. They want to know what he is planning and how to move forward. "The accumulation worries me. It is too much of everything. More and more orders are added. That has to stop", Noordanus said.