The National Police will intensify its approach to racism and discrimination. Reporting such offenses should be made easier. That is what Martin Sitalsing, head of unity for Central Netherlands and portfolio holder for diversity in the police top says.
In Amsterdam, the police has opened a national expertise center for discrimination that should enable more effective combating of discrimination. This month the police will start recruiting three ‘discrimination investigators’, who will support colleagues in recording reports and investigating offenses that may involve discrimination. The knowledge and information center should help to identify, tackle and deal with discrimination issues in a timely manner. The Public Prosecution Service also has a national expertise center in this field.
The number of reports of racist incidents has increased in recent years. In 2020, the police registered 6,141 cases of discrimination, an increase of 12 percent compared to the previous year, and this trend is set to continue, according to the police. The use of specialized investigators has long been a wish of the House of Representatives.
Special training
According to Sitalsing, all police officers have received special training in the past year in properly recording reports of discrimination and racism. “We want to prevent that people are not taken seriously in these kinds of matters and are sent away at the counter, as often happened,” says Sitalsing. The police chief refers to an incident in Giethoorn, Overijssel, where the police refused to include reports of racism, according to a TV program broadcast. zembla from last month.
Provisions in the Criminal Code are, according to Sitalsing, “extremely difficult to interpret articles of law”. What one person feels as discrimination, another does not have to experience as such. “The police do have the task of receiving people who feel that they have been discriminated against. Their reports and declarations must be recorded and properly accompanied by criminal law.”
A year ago, Sitalsing presented the plan Police for Everyone that with ‘stricter agreements and less non-commitment’ should lead to a drastic change in the police staff. The police forces in the Randstad want at least 35 percent of new police officers to have a non-Western migration background within five years.
Last year this percentage was 23, a year earlier 17. “There is progress, but lately competition on the labor market has been fierce, for example when it comes to salaries. Care is often chosen, but other professions in the private security domain are also attractive employers. Even the starting salary of the special investigative officers in municipal enforcement organizations is often higher,” says Sitalsing. The head of unit says that the image of the police among young people with a non-Western migration background suffers from incidents, such as reporting about racist WhatsApp groups of police officers.
Networking
The police say they are making progress in setting up the so-called Network Divers Craftsmanship. This network aims to bring together police officers from the same background, so that they can share their knowledge and insights about different lifestyles and cultures with colleagues on operational issues. There are now 2,300 agents who are part of this network.
There is, among other things, a network of Moroccan, Polish, Chinese, Jewish and Caribbean agents, but also, for example, an agricultural network that advises on tensions among farmers.
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Due to the war in Ukraine, a Ukraine-Russia expertise group was recently set up to advise on possible social unrest and the flow of refugees. “You see that people who have recently turned against corona measures are now in the pro-Russian camp. Tensions arise,” says Sitalsing.
According to the police chief, refugees from Syria or Africa have the idea that there is a double standard. “That is very painful and that also gives rise to internal debate: do we ensure that we remain neutral in our role as police? We must remain objective. We also take into account the displacement – by all refugees – on the housing market, in education and in housing. This can lead to additional discrimination in society and additional tensions. As a police, we have to be really well prepared for that.”