News item | 06-07-2022 | 17:00
Nearly half (49%) of the decentralized political office holders such as mayors, water board administrators and members of parliament had to deal with aggression or intimidation in the past year. In 2014 this was still 26%. In the last two years there has been a sharp increase in both less serious and serious incidents. A third (33%) of civil servants also had to deal with aggression or violence in the past year. This is evident from the Integrity and Security Monitor 2022 that Minister Bruins Slot of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) sent to the House of Representatives today.
Bruins Slot: “These worrying figures show that our mayors, councilors, members of parliament and civil servants are increasingly confronted with threats, aggression and violence. That is unacceptable. Every incident is one too many. That is why in the coming period I will work together with partners such as the Resilient Governance Support Team, VNG and security partners to ensure the resilience of our administrators, politicians and civil servants. It is an absolute necessity for good and reliable management that they can do their work without aggression, intimidation or other subversive influences.”
In the survey, administrators, politicians and civil servants themselves indicate that threats, intimidation and violence affect their job satisfaction and mental health. The survey shows a cautious increase in the percentage of reported incidents, from 68 to 72%. These reports make the scope of the problem visible and make it possible, where necessary, to provide support to the people involved and their loved ones. The minister hopes that this cautious trend will continue.
Keep working on resilient governance
Earlier this year, the minister announced that he would invest an additional 100 million euros over the next 10 years in making public administration more resilient. The Resilient Governance Network, in which the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations works together with about 30 partners involved, is committed to strengthening public administration against the influence of undermining and other forms of undue pressure. The Support Team (OT) Resilient Governance – part of the Network – is there for decentralized political office holders who have had to deal with aggression or intimidation. After the summer, the ‘OT on tour’ will start in each province to increase awareness about resilience in new municipal councils.
Part of the extra money this year will go to support smaller municipalities. These municipalities also have to deal with undesired influence, for example in the case of permit and subsidy applications. They often lack the capacity needed to strengthen the organization. The minister is therefore making a total of 5 million euros available to the provinces for the extra clout of these municipalities. With this they can, for example, strengthen mutual cooperation and set up training courses to recognize and combat cases of subversion.
An investigation has also been launched into other forms of financing necessary safety measures for drivers’ homes. Now they still have to ask for funding from the council.
Also a safe working environment for civil servants
With the Safe Working approach, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations is not only committed to creating an aggression and violence-free working environment for administrators and politicians, but also for civil servants. They too must be able to perform their public duties without coercion or undue pressure. The aim is to prevent incidents, take adequate action and provide good aftercare in the event of an incident.
Bruins Slot: “We want to convey that intimidation and threats are not normal, officials are not alone and it is important to report incidents. To this end, we will improve reporting registration, develop training, strengthen processes that are vulnerable to undermining and undue pressure, and develop an approach against aggression, violence and intimidation via social media.”
Integrity
During the survey, political office holders were also asked whether they had seen or suspected unethical behavior in fellow office holders in the past year. The number of office holders who have reported such suspicions has increased slightly, especially when it comes to matters such as conflicts of interest or voting on matters of personal interest. Whether that means that people actually act less with integrity or that awareness is growing, so that it is noticed sooner, cannot be said on the basis of the research.
Most participants in the survey are reasonably well acquainted with the various components of the integrity policy. In order to increase the integrity of decentralized political office holders, the BZK is focusing on new legislation, among other things. Recently, a bill was passed by the House of Representatives, containing an obligation for aldermen and commissioners to submit a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) and in which the rules regarding conflicts of interest have been tightened up. The ministry is also currently working on a bill that will make an integrity risk analysis mandatory before someone is appointed as a director. In addition, the Ministry of the Interior – together with professional and interest associations and administrators’ associations – is working on guidelines, codes of conduct and instruments to promote discussions about integrity within organisations.