The Amsterdam police have started an investigation into WhatsApp groups with police officers in which cross-border messages were sent. A total of nine employees have been dismissed and a tenth employee has been suspended. The WhatsApp groups emerged in two criminal investigations, the police wrote.
The investigations focus on individual WhatsApp groups in which ‘seriously cross-border and discriminatory messages were shared’.
“Insult, bullying and discrimination have no place in our police organization and are at odds with the police that we want and must be: honest, reliable, courageous and connecting,” said Police Chief Frank Paauw of the Amsterdam unit.
‘Getting to the bottom’
The precise nature and extent of the expressions are still being investigated further. Due to the investigation, Paauw cannot yet go into details; “But I take what I’ve heard so far very seriously. That’s why we’re getting to the bottom of this.”