Police union calls for transparency on demonstration costs

By Janene Pieters on December 4, 2017 - 13:50
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Police keeping Pegida supporters and opponents apart during demonstration in Utrecht, Nov 8th, 2015 (Photo: Twitter/@Fulcoraatsiepvv). (Police keeping Pegida supporters and opponents apart during demonstration in Utrecht, Nov 8th, 2015 (Photo: Twitter/@Fulcoraatsiepvv))

Police union ACP is calling for more transparency on the costs involved in police deployment to demonstrations. "Our plea is that the police will show how many demonstrations there are a year and  what the costs of these demonstrations are", union chairman Gerrit van de Kamp said to RTL Nieuws.

He referred to a demonstration against racism and Zwarte Piet in Dokkum this weekend. The police escorted the protesters to the Friesland town, to prevent pro-Zwarte Piet activists from blocking their way as they did at Sinterklaas' national arrival last month. According to ACP, the police deployment for ensuring safety at the demonstration could easily cost between 350 thousand and 500 thousand euros. 

By attaching a clear price tag to this type of work, it can also be made clear how much time and manpower such a job costs the police, Van de Kamp said to the broadcaster. 

A spokesperson for the National Police emphasized to RTL Nieuws that guiding demonstrations is simply part of police work. 

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