Den Haag police accused of manipulating racial profiling research

The Hague police may have manipulated the results a study that concluded that there is no ethnic profiling in the police unit, according to Buro Jansen & Janssen based on their own research, AD reports.

The study was done by students of the University of Leiden and published in 2014. Minutes of a corpse management meeting show that the results of the study may have been adjusted for a more favorable outcome. Buro Jansen & Janssen got the minutes, dated 27 December 2011, through the Freedom of Information Act.

"Damage risk [of the investigation] may be that it can draw attention to (possible) discrimination by the police", the minutes read, according to the newspaper. "The risk was discussed with prof. Van der Leun. She understands the undesirability of this and indicated that she [...] will explicitly discuss this issue with the students and that she will pay attention to this in the interim discussions of their (draft) papers."

It is unclear whether the study was actually edited. The police denies this in a reaction to the reports. They discussed the risk factor, but never said that the risk should be avoided.

The PVV and GroenLinks in The Hague want to discuss this issue in the city council as soon as possible. "Should it turn out that the police had an influence on the conclusions of the report, it is very serious.", GroenLinks said to the newspaper.