Police officer who alleged sex harassment, racism arrested for leaking info

Two police officers from the Noord-Holland unit were arrested at the police station in Haarlem on Thursday on suspicion of leaking confidential police information to newspaper NRC. One of the two suspected cops is a female police officer who revealed racist abuses at the Hoefkade police station in The Hague and accused a superior of sexual assault, multiple sources told newspaper AD.

The female officer was transferred to the Noord-Holland police unit in March. Her colleagues at the Hoefkade police station turned against her after she reported abuses involving racism by other police officers to the Safety, Integrity and Complaints team of The Hague police, NRC reported in September.

After her transfer to the Haarlemmermeer police station, she reported that her team leader sexually assaulted her. The man, who she knew from The Hague, took her under his wing after her transfer, but then started sexually harassing her by sending her sexual messages, she said. It eventually led to sexual assault, according to the woman.

In the investigation into her allegations, the Noord-Holland police searched her phone. This allegedly showed that she was in contact with NRC. She is suspected of violating official secrecy, forgery, making a false declaration, perjury and computer breach, the Rijksrecherche, the department that handles internal investigations at the police, said to AD. These alleged crimes happened in August and September this year, the Rijksrecherche said.

The team leader accused of sexual assault and harassment was suspended, but not arrested.

The second officer arrested on Thursday is a man who helped the female officer with her problems with the team leader, AD's sources said. He is also suspected of leaking confidential police information. Both officers are subject to a disciplinary and criminal investigation.