The Dutch police force is incapable of dealing with serious crime, according to a former detective in the NRC.

Michiel Princen left the police disillusioned last year after ten years service. He worked for the financial crimes division in Amsterdam which he was told is the ‘Champions League of the police’. However, he told the paper it was more like ‘the IJsselmeer Birds against Real Madrid’.

‘There is a lack of intelligence among the detectives,’ Princen told the NRC. There is also an ‘old boys atmosphere’, with the majority staying until pension age and senior officers chosen from among their ranks.

As a result detectives rarely do anything with ‘complete files’ received from the internal fraud and security departments which they receive from large companies, banks and insurance companies.

This also applies to complaints about bankruptcy fraud, subsidy fraud, phishing and Nigerian email swindlers. ‘There are many arguments for doing nothing and they usually win from the arguments to do something,’ Princen told the paper.

He says just 20% of detectives are ‘working hard’, with the rest either on holiday or off sick. And the current reorganisation into one national police force is unlikely to improve the situation.