Police remove benefits scandal from conspiracy theory document after criticism

The police are going to alter an internal document after it was met with criticism on social media. It concerns an "internal guidance document" on conspiracy thinking, which references the childcare benefits scandal. Former NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt shared the contents of the document on X.

The guidance document is intended for police officers who encounter “radicalization and extremism that can stem from conspiracy theories,” according to the police.

The document is not a formal work instruction, the police emphasized, but a “tool to facilitate conversations.” It referenced Covid-19 and the childcare benefits scandal, among other topics, because the police say misinformation or conspiracy theories circulate about them.

The childcare benefits scandal in the Netherlands involved thousands of families being wrongly accused of fraud by the tax authorities, leading to wrongful demands for repayment, financial hardship, and in some cases, severe social consequences.

Omtzigt tweeted that the childcare benefits scandal does not belong on that list. “It was and remains a bitter reality for many people,” he wrote. The police state that including the topic does not mean they consider the scandal itself a conspiracy. “We do not doubt the suffering of those affected.”

The police do, however, acknowledge that the information “without the proper context” can be confusing. For that reason, they will revise the document. A spokesperson does not yet know what exactly will be changed.

Omtzigt shared the content of a letter that he had sent to the chief of police, Janny Knol. He wrote that the police’s approach could lead to people affected by government actions being immediately labeled as conspiracy theorists, “while any mistakes in government actions go unnoticed.”

Omtzigt quit national politics in the spring. As an MP, he was closely involved in exposing the childcare benefits scandal.