20 Police managers earn over €177,000

Twenty police officials earned higher salaries than the Security and Justice Minister in 2014. The biggest earner was Bernard Welten. He earned 258,994 euros, the Justice Minister earned 177,410 euros, Dutch newspaper AD reports based on information received through the Freedom of Information Act.  Welten, former commissioner of Amsterdam, worked as an adviser to senior police officers in 2014. His salary was well above the then still legally permitted 230 thousand euros and 50 thousand euros more than current police chief Gerard Bouman's salary, who earned 201,520 euros. In addition to Welten, the police also had three other high earning advisers. They earned 207,999 euros, 169,535 euros and 139,393 euros respectively. The police management does not see a problem with this. "It is not strange that an organization with 65 thousand employees, which is in the middle of the largest reorganization ever and is responsible for complex issues, has a small number of highly paid advisers at its disposal." a spokesperson said to the newspaper. These 20 high earners at the police stand in stark contrast with the Standardized Top Incomes Act, introduced in 2013, with which the government insists on the moderation of top executives' wages. "Unbelievable", Geert Priem, president of police union ANPV, said to the newspaper. "The police management should lead by example. For officers on the street, it is unacceptable that their bosses earn more than the minister." SP parliamentarian Nine Kooiman thinks the government should intervene. "Officers on the street ago protested for a year for a decent wage, while the management fills their pockets. That must stop."