New low for Dutch police: shortage of more than 1,600 officers
20 October 2022
12:16
The police are facing a shortage of 1,641 police officers, reports Goedemorgen Nederland by public broadcaster WNL on public tv channel NPO 1. The shortage has increased the pressure on officers. The police speak of “a low point.”
These are police officers who are part of the 168 police teams that are present every day in Dutch villages and cities and online. Among other things, they are responsible for reports that come in through the emergency center. There are currently some 22,000 officers working within those teams.
Over the past few years, they have worked hard to make up for the shortages with new recruits from the Police Academy. In about three years, this should solve the shortages, police say. But the tight labor market makes it difficult to fill all classes in the coming years. At the moment, it is still manageable.
It is not only the shortage of personnel that is increasing the workload for officers. For example, police officers must provide more frequent personal security for people under threat and during major criminal cases. There is also an increase in police deployment during events and demonstrations.
