Dutch police have been banned from taking industrial action in support of their pay claim during an international conference on cyber space in The Hague.

Police chiefs and the Dutch state had gone to court in an effort to have a ban imposed. The court ruled the ACP union must withdraw its call for action during the conference and make clear to members that any action would be illegal.

Union spokesman Gerrit van de Kamp told news agency ANP the ban is a ‘serious weapon’ and that the police would respect the court’s decision.

Around 1,000 police officers are involved in security around the summit, all of whom have gone through extra screening, ANP says.

The summit will be attended by a number of foreign ministers and the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Companies such as Facebook and Microsoft, privacy watchdogs and official bodies such as Europol and the world trade organisation are also taking part.

The aim of the conference, which takes place on April 15 and 16, is to ‘promote practical cooperation in cyberspace, to enhance cyber capacity building, and to discuss norms for responsible behaviour in cyberspace.’