Police union demands corruption investigation at National Police

Jan Struijs, chairman of police union NPB, is calling for a large-scale and broad investigation into corruption within the National Police. According to him, the police leaders are naive if they don't realize that the police are now more vulnerable to corruption practices, he said to broadcaster NOS.

Struijs wants Minister Ard van der Steur of Security and Justice to order a thorough investigation into the breeding ground of corruption within the police. He stresses that times have changed. "It is no longer the 90's. Corruption is no longer a police officer approached at the gym."

According to Struijs, the dangers of corruption are everywhere. In vulnerable IT systems, whose passwords can be sold for a high price and then end up in criminal hands. In the increasing work the police are doing with private parties. And police officers are increasingly under pressure in their own ethnic groups, he said.

"They are told: You belong with us, give use information. Colleagues report that to us, and I want to know more of this phenomenon. we are not paying enough attention to that." Struijs said, specifically mentioning Moroccan, Turkish, Albanian and Vietnamese police officers.

The NPB chairman acknowledged that the police do investigate individual cases. "But it can go a little bit deeper. the minister must set up an external investigation into corruption in the police and the breeding ground. That is important, especially now that there will be 15,000 new officers in the next ten years."

A large-scale corruption investigation may well be necessary. Over the past year numerous police officers were arrested or appeared in court on corruption charges. Last  month two Limburg police officers, stationed in the Westelijke Mijnstreek and Heerlen, were arrested for leaking confidential information. A police officer in The Hague was arrested in June because it is suspected that he informed criminals of cannabis plantations found so that they could carry away the drugs before the police could raid them. Kerkrade cop Mike D. is suspected of selling police information to drug criminals. Same goes for former police officer Mark M., whose case seemed to open the floodgate for corrupt police officers.