Den Haag detective accused of leaking police info to criminals

A detective in the Den Haag police unit is suspected of leaking police information to criminals for a period spanning around 18 months, according to the Public Prosecutor. The 35-year-old man searched the police systems to find out whether there were investigations into certain suspects, NOS reports.

The police officer was arrested in October and will appear in court next week. He traded confidential information in the criminal circuit via two intermediaries. The intermediaries were also arrested over the past months. All three have been released from custody, but are still considered suspects.

According to the Public Prosecutor, the detective was not able to access substantive information about the investigations, but could for example see whether the police were looking for someone. This case came to light when a detective team noticed that a suspect they were investigating knew that his phone was being tapped. They reported a possible leak and the investigation led to the 35-year-old detective.

How often this police officer leaked information to criminals, and exactly what information was involved, the Public Prosecutor could not say. How many investigations were affected is also still unclear.

Over the past year, four police officers in Den Haag were arrested for leaking confidential police information. In February last year, an employee of the Royal and Diplomatic Protection Service, formerly the Safety and Security Department, was arrested on suspicion of violation of official secrecy. In June a 31-year-old officer was arrested, followed by the 35-year-old detective in October, and a 61-year-old officer in November.

In an earlier case, another Den Haag cop was sentenced to four years in prison for informing criminals about the location of cannabis farms before the police could raid them.

According to Den Haag police chief Paul van Musscher, the number of integrity violations in Den Haag is at about the same level as the national average. "Unfortunately in an organization of 65 thousand employees, there are sometimes people who do not keep to the agreements", the police chief said to NOS. He added that the Den Haag police are extra alert to information leaks. "For example, we are looking more intensely at risky and deviant behavior from employees who request information."