Dutch police, Justice Minister apologize over internal inquiry in Lisa’s murder case
The Dutch police leadership and Justice Minister David van Weel apologized to officers after more than 1,700 personnel were questioned over accessing the internal case file of 17-year-old Lisa, who was stabbed to death in August.
The officers, most of whom were not directly involved in the investigation, received letters requiring them to explain why they had looked up information in the police systems, RTL reports. Minister Van Weel had called the behavior “unacceptable,” and Lisa’s family described it as “very painful.”
The police now say the letters were sent prematurely. “We should have first spoken with the staff instead of immediately sending a letter,” said Police Chief Janny Knol. “We did not handle this properly. We are sorry.” Deputy Chief Wilbert Paulissen also acknowledged the communication missteps.
Van Weel expressed regret in a letter to the Tweede Kamer, noting that he had confused the case file with other police systems, creating the impression that officers had improperly accessed the case. “I should have been more careful in my words. I offer my apologies,” he wrote, adding his respect and appreciation for all police personnel.
Police leadership emphasized that the internal review of officers’ access to the case file would continue. “There were very concrete signals of improper inquiries, and confidential information about the investigation ended up in the media,” the police said. Officers involved will now be invited to personal meetings with their supervisors to “determine the context of the inquiries and to raise awareness about careful handling of police information.”
Lisa, 17, from Abcoude, was killed with a knife in Duivendrecht last August. The suspect, a 23-year-old man who identifies himself as Chris Jude, has admitted to the murder and stated that he hears voices giving him instructions. He is expected to undergo evaluation this month at the Pieter Baancentrum. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 30.
The police apologized to the officers who received the letters, instructing them to consider them null. “We never intended to unjustly accuse colleagues,” the internal communication read. Officers later explained that some had consulted the systems to verify the description of the still-at-large suspect at the time.
