News item | 14-04-2022 | 18:15
The threat from serious crime, jihadist and right-wing extremists, as well as the increase in anti-government sentiments and polarization mean that the number of persons and objects that are intensively monitored and protected for a long time – sometimes even many years. This requires operational deployment of the police and military police, with major and far-reaching consequences for both the person to be protected and for the available capacity in the system to monitor and protect.
“There are journalists, lawyers, politicians and judges in our country who do their job in good faith, who serve the rule of law and because of this work they have to deal with threats, intimidation or worse. It is our duty to ensure that they can then do that work as safely as possible.”
said Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius.
After the horrific murders of the brother of a key witness in 2018 and lawyer Wiersum in 2019, various processes have been set in motion to improve the quality of the execution of surveillance and security, to strengthen the capacity and the resilience of lawyers, judges, officers of justice and journalists. In October last year, the Forest Committee issued advice and recommendations on request to strengthen the monitoring and security system. So that you can permanently withstand current and future threats. Significant steps have already been taken by the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), the police, the Public Prosecution Service and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, and they are continuing to do so.
Yesilgöz-Zegerius:
“The necessary reinforcement, reinforcement and flexibility of the system is given priority by the many organizations and professionals involved. They are called upon to a great extent. From the people who take to the streets every day to the people who draw up the threat assessments: everyone works hard every day to ensure that judges, lawyers, journalists or politicians can walk safely on the street.”
To deal with capacity more efficiently, new security concepts are being developed and capacity is deployed more flexibly. For example, Jewish institutions in Amsterdam are recently no longer protected statically but dynamically; custom security. New technologies will also be used, such as the use of sensors to be able to detect suspicious actions in good time. In addition, ‘packages’ will be used so that there is not only a light and heavy security regime, but more variation is possible. However, monitoring and security will always remain customised, and specific requirements will always be taken into account; the packages are fine-tuned to specific threats and circumstances. Because persons to be protected experience like no other the enormous impact of the measures on their personal and work life, they are also involved in rolling out the recommendations and making improvements.
Guarding and securing will become one of the main tasks for the police. That is why each regional team has its own team to monitor and secure. Basic police care must regain its strength. With the establishment of permanent teams, fewer police officers from the neighborhoods or from the street need to be deployed to monitor and secure. At the moment, four of the ten units already have this, and the other six should be there before the end of 2022. In addition, a start had already been made with extra surveillance and security capacity, both at the police and the Marechaussee.