Gooise police officers increasingly have to choose which emergency call they do and do not go to. This has to do with the enormous shortage of officers that the regional police is struggling with. The shortage is currently at least 300 agents. The Gooi mayors are very concerned, they say.
The major shortages of agents are not recent. In recent years, the number of agents has been steadily decreasing. In addition, the workload for the officers who are still working is increasing, and so is absenteeism.
This is again due to the corona crisis, the increasing number of demonstrations and riots, but also the fact that the regional police has to supply people to monitor and protect the people who are under threat. That comes on top of the huge mountain of work that the police already have.
The major shortages do not only affect ‘t Gooi. The shortage of three hundred officers applies to the entire Central Netherlands police region, which includes Utrecht and Flevoland in addition to ‘t Gooi. Nevertheless, the mayors of Gooi are noticing the shortages. They notice that the officers have to make choices and can no longer answer every emergency call and that the police are less likely to be on the scene when it comes down to it.
The measure full
The mayors have had enough: the lower limit has been reached and something has to change, they have urged the police force management. Mayor Niek Meijer van Huizen also tells this on behalf of the other mayors.
In addition to the limited number of officers for urgent emergency calls and the much longer arrival times, the large police shortage is also noticeable in other places. For example, many police stations open much less time per day or even have to close completely. Several neighborhoods notice that their local police officer walks around much less in the neighbourhood. That is again because they have to accommodate emergency services. “With this, the preventive effect and the roots in the neighborhoods disappear and this is a very undesirable move,” said the mayors. Large and important criminal investigations are also under increasing pressure.
Problem persists for two more years
It is clear that there is a problem. But there is as yet no solution. It will take at least another two years before enough officers graduate from police training to fill the large number of empty spots.
Until then, the only solution seems to be making choices and working together more on other fronts to ‘get through the tightest years’. “It is obvious that sometimes painful choices have to be made. That is close to our hearts, but that is the reality that we have to deal with,” wrote mayor Sharon Dijksma of Utrecht – also on behalf of the Gooise mayors – earlier. to the regional police force.