Dutch police lacks long-term vision: Inspectorate

Police in the Netherlands cannot do their job properly because they lack a long-term vision, the Justice and Security Inspectorate said in a report released on Friday. The lack of such planning or direction causes problems with investigations, makes it difficult for community police officers to complete their primary responsibilities, and special departments function insufficiently.

In the review, the Inspectorate writes that the justice minister, the Public Prosecution Service, and the mayors of the country’s municipalities must draw up a long-term vision together. It must state what the police are responsible for, what the limits are when it comes to the police working with public and private partnerships, and what they need in terms of money, resources, and people.

As soon as the document is ready, the minister and the chief of police must set up an independent organization that monitors the implementation of the plans, the Inspectorate advised. "That will prevent incident-oriented management."

The Inspectorate's review came about after ten years of research into many aspects of the department, including the work culture, task performance, and leadership in the police.

Also on Friday, the police addressed another concern facing the department for some time. The National Unit (LE) of the police will work more effectively if it is split into two separate units, said the corps and unit leadership to the Schneiders Committee, which is investigating the organization. According to the police, one unit should focus entirely on investigative services, and the other should focus on tasks in the field of crisis management, coordination, and expertise.

In April, the Schneiders Commission stated in an interim report that the National Unit must be completely overhauled. The committee will issue its final recommendation in June.

Oscar Dros, chief of the LE, said the current unit has "too many too diverse tasks in a restrictive structure.” He added, "Combined with leadership and culture issues, this has led to problems in the unit in recent years. The impact was significant. At work, but especially on the people doing the work. In some cases with dramatic and lasting consequences ."

Two weeks ago, in a debate in the Tweede Kamer, politicians expressed strong criticism about the unsafe work situation within the unit. Three employees of the service have committed suicide in recent years, in part because of work-related problems, investigations have shown. Shuffling of leadership played a role in the problem, and the national police force management is still not succeeding in improving the situation, according to the members of parliament.

With his proposal, Dros wants "improvement in terms of controllability, manageability and business support, but above all more room for the human dimension." In addition, change is needed in the field of culture and leadership, he said. "Executives play a crucial role in the realization of a safe working environment. If those in the workplace do not feel heard and see that the management is displaying undesirable behavior and is not being held accountable for it, the foundation for acting professionally and with integrity is gone." He wants to get rid of the classical hierarchy. "From ‘the boss knows how to do it,’ to ‘those who know, may say so.’"

The LE chief asked for patience during the change process. Also from politicians. "I hope that we will have the time and space and the confidence to put things in order. After all the misery of recent years, there is now perspective. We are finally going to build. It is getting better and everyone will notice that, primarily the employees, but it will take some time."

Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz promised the Tweede Kamer that the Schneiders Commission will monitor developments for at least one year.