Hero Brinkman, an MP for the anti-immigration party PVV until early 2012, is undergoing a security assessment before restarting work with Amsterdam’s detective force, the police department said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the police announced Brinkman is making use of his right to return to his former job – leading to questions about his suitability as a policeman.

Brinkman is currently undergoing a retraining programme and is being assessed by the security service AIVD to see if he can be cleared to carry out certain functions, the police said.

Once the training and assessment are over, senior officers will decide what function Brinkman should have.

Questions

Brinkman hit the headlines in 2010 after it emerged he had driven away from a police alcohol check at high speed while a serving police officer in 2001.

In 2009, he was involved in a brawl at the parliamentary press centre and later forced to admit to having an alcohol problem. He is also involved in a lawsuit about threatening someone with an axe.

Brinkman spent 14 years with the Amsterdam police force, including five years as an inspector.