Rotterdam police chief quits

Tuesday 09 February 2010

Rotterdam's police chief Aad Meijboom will step down as soon as a successor is found, the Telegraaf reported on Monday evening.

Meijboom has been under increasing pressure to resign following the fatal shooting incident at a beach party in Hoek van Holland at the end of the summer.

The Telegraaf said it will take about six months to find a replacement for Meijboom, who is 58.

Official report

An official report into the incident, in which police shot at rioters after coming under attack, was highly criticial of the police approach.

It said that hours before the party started, police were aware a large group of football hooligans was planning to cause trouble, but that information was not passed on to officials on the ground or senior police officers.

One 19-year-old was killed and five others injured by police bullets. None of the officers who fired their weapons into the crowd at the Sunset Grooves are to face charges.

Another senior Rotterdam police chief stood down in January for failing to inform the mayor about a potentially problematic incident.

© DutchNews.nl

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