Amsterdam police to fire 4 officers over discriminatory WhatsApp groups; 9 more punished

Four police officers are facing termination as part of an investigation into controversial WhatsApp chat groups mainly involving police officers within the Amsterdam district. Six others will be fired if they violate rules again during a probationary period, and another was reprimanded. The investigation also led authorities to punish a Rotterdam police officer and a police operations staffer, both of whom will also be terminated if they violate a probationary term.

The messages shared in the WhatsApp groups were said to be discriminatory and often inappropriate in other ways, the police said. The specific responsibilities of the police staffers involved were not made public when the issue came to light at the beginning the February. On Friday, police also did not state the current rank and job responsibilities of the eight who were conditionally fired and the other individual who was suspended.

While police would not comment about the specific content of the material shared in the WhatsApp groups, they did state that "insults, bullying and discrimination have no place within the police." The group chats emerged as part of two separate criminal investigations, though it was not clear if this was linked to other cases of discrimination and transgressive behavior within different police districts.

"The intended punishments are based on everyone's level of involvement in the WhatsApp groups and the seriousness of the messages shared. Because the employees involved have two weeks to submit their own perspectives, the punishments that have been issued are not yet final," the police said.

The decision to outright fire four police officers came after the case was investigated by the Amsterdam district's internal affairs team. The proposed punishments were then reviewed by other police districts and attorneys representing the department.

The six Amsterdam officers whose terminations were conditionally suspended also have to follow courses in behavior and integrity. The Rotterdam officer and the police operations staffer also have to follow a training program. No additional sanction was announced for the one Amsterdam officer who was reprimanded.

The investigation was being handled by the Amsterdam police district, which released a statement about the status of the case on Friday. The Amsterdam police chief, Frank Paauw, acknowledged that the punishments are "severe," and said that such decisions are not made abruptly.

"With their behavior, these employees have not only damaged confidence in the police, but also that of their own colleagues. That hurts and requires us to take responsibility as a unit: with these punitive intentions and by looking at how we can learn from them," he said.