Former chairman of the Dutch police association Jan Struijs wants to make the switch to The Hague: he has been nominated by the board of Seniors Party 50Plus as the party leader for the parliamentary elections in October. Struijs (64) wants to draw attention to the world of the elderly, who, according to him, are in danger of disappearing into the background in the “rapidly changing society.”
In the Lower House, according to the aspiring party leader, it is not often enough about the problems of seniors. Among other things, he wants to worry about the AOW, crooked sidewalk tiles (which cause many bone fractures among the elderly) and feelings of insecurity that live on the agenda among seniors. As far as he is concerned, something must also change about the way in The Hague talks about seniors. “When it comes to the elderly, they are seen too much as an ATM,” said Struijs, quoted in De Gelderlander.
Now no seat
The senior party, who came to the Lower House for the first time in 2012 led by Henk Krol, has no seat there. In the Senate, the party is still represented by current party leader Martin van Rooijen. He writes on X It is happy that Struijs has accepted his invitation to become a party leader: “Jan comes from the police and knows what needs to be done.” The leader of Struijs still has to be officially ratified; A majority must agree to the members’ meeting of 50PLUS on 30 August.
In recent years there was a lot of internal hassle at the party, including when former party leader Liane den Haan split off from 50PLUS in 2021 and remained in the room at his own title. According to Struijs, the folds have since been smoothed. “The party now consists of people who work well together.”
Struijs has a long career with the police. In 2008 he became director of the Police Academy, but he became known to the general public when he was chairman of the Dutch police association from 2016 to 2023. The pronounced Struijs was a welcome guest at talk shows during that period. Even after his waving, he often came to the media when it came to fighting crime.