Police budget falls €72 million short

The National Police's budget had a "worrisome" deficit of a massive 72 million euros in 2015, according to the police's annual report, ANP reports. The police attributes 30 million euros of the deficit to maintaining the level of performance, the police reorganization and extra tasks that fell to the police due to the asylum crisis and terrorism threat. The other 42 million euros fell short because of the costs of retroactive agreements on leave in the new police collective bargaining agreement. The annual report shows that the police's performance improved last year, compared to 2014. "This result was achieved despite a number of developments with great impact on police capacity, such as asylum seekers and terrorist threat", the police write. The report also shows that crime decreased again last year, following a downward trend that started in 2011. The reduction applies to almost all forms of crime. The solved cases percentage target wasn't reached, but only barely. The police leadership is investigating the process to see what measures can be taken for improvement.