The Netherlands faces a shortage of police officers as thousands retire

Photo: Graham Dockery

The Netherlands is facing a shortage of police officers because thousands are retiring and too few are being recruited, the Volkskrant said on Wednesday.

Some 14,000 policemen will be retiring in the next seven years but just 1,000 new recruits are being signed up every a year, the paper said. The problem affects night patrols and the police presence in rural areas in particular.

Police union chairman Jan Struijs told the paper: ‘We have brought this to the attention of the police authorities but the answer always was: there is no money. We’re getting a bit more now but it’s not enough. I hope the politicians finally open their eyes to the problem.’

The new government has allocated an extra €267m for policing. Justice minister Ferdinand Grappenhaus (CDA), who is debating the justice ministry  budget with MPs on Wednesday and Thursday, plans to create an extra 480 full time jobs and 200 extra police academy places with €100m of the extra spending.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation