Police stations closed again on Wednesday as demands for early retirement remain unmet

Police stations throughout the Netherlands will again be closed for 24 hours on Wednesday, June 19, the police union NPB announced. A similar closure on Tuesday has not resulted in movement in the negotiations for a decent early retirement scheme for cops, the police union said.

Since 2021, police employees have had the option to retire up to three years before the state pension age, with a benefit to bridge the gap. The current Early Retirement Scheme (RVU) expires at the end of this year.

The police unions started protesting for a new early retirement scheme for the police early this year with marches in The Hague. In May, the police stopped writing tickets for minor offenses, including cycling without lights and public urination. Violators who were let off with a warning were also given a pamphlet explaining the reason for the police protest. In the first week alone, officers wrote 6,000 fewer tickets than a year ago.

Now they’ve started closing police stations 24 hours at a time. “In this way, the actions of the police unions accumulate until political decision-makers and employers lay the necessary foundation for a decent Early Retirement Scheme (RVU),” the NPB said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Netherlands residents who visit a police station will find closed doors and a poster explaining the protest. Appointments scheduled for that day will be moved. The police remain available for emergencies.

“Only when politicians, administrators, and employers take the right steps towards a decent RVU will the police unions stop taking action. Until then, the actions will only increase,” the NPB said.