The reason is the documentary The Blue Family, in which six officers told how they faced discrimination, exclusion and bullying for years. After the broadcast, hundreds of new reports of discrimination and racism were received, according to the Police Association.
Do you think the police leadership has failed?
‘Yes. When I see what happened to colleagues, I can only see it as the failure of our leadership. We should have protected them. We should have done more. Can do more.’
Why is a documentary needed to make the police aware of racism in their own organisation? This isn’t new is it? In the black book of 2017, an agent also said that he was depicted as a ‘monkey in a cage’. It recently became known that Rotterdam police officers sent each other racist apps with terms such as ‘cancer people’ and ‘pauper allochtonen’ and that after the murder of 16-year-old Hümeyra they app: ‘One less Turk’.
‘We have been aware of this for a long time. Those WhatsApps have led to a lot of commotion and shame among the police. As corps leadership we thought at the time: ‘Huh? Are the standards clear?’ The trouble is, there isn’t much case law. It has long prevented us from tackling it sharply. We have often thought along the lines of criminal law. But we have now decided to start working from layoff. Look, if someone calls his colleague ‘gay’, he doesn’t get fired right away. But we now say: we do not accept this. And if we notice that someone doesn’t want to learn, it can lead to them having to leave.’
The police are now embracing this documentary. But beforehand there was a completely different attitude, according to the makers. They say they have been incredibly opposed by the police. Agents who wanted to talk were not allowed, according to documentary maker Meral Uslu. “The spokespersons did everything they could to ensure that there was no documentary,” Uslu said.
‘We cannot find out internally. If that’s true, that’s very unfortunate. It’s not what we want. Once this has happened, we want to get this on the table. Here too we must adopt a different attitude. Spokespersons may have thought that the documentary could harm us. It’s no fun when the dirty laundry is hung outside. But we have to get through this sour apple. It is necessary to learn from this. If colleagues want to talk about this, I call on them: ask your manager, not a spokesperson.’
The makers spoke to more than fifty police officers, one of whom, according to Uslu, was on the verge of suicide. Hardly anyone dared to be in front of the camera for fear of reprisals, they say. At the beginning of this year, the documentary was still in doubt because two participants withdrew at the last minute. “I know how far they go within the police,” someone says in the documentary. ‘As a whistleblower you will be dealt with as much as possible.’ What do you think of that?
‘That too was painful. That came in at the maximum.’
You have been working on this theme for years. Why were you unable to convince the police chief earlier that this had to change?
‘Everyone agreed on the standards. But I have often seen cases treated as incidents. Without looking at it: where does this come from? Why is this happening?’
What do you see as the cause?
“Agents often find themselves in very difficult situations. They get all kinds of things. Sometimes it’s literally blowing off steam. But there are also colleagues who are distorted by work. If you work in a neighborhood where there is a lot of violence and where many people live with, for example, a Moroccan background, then you have to keep in mind that not everyone is like that. Sometimes it is difficult to keep an open mind. As management, we have to pay more attention to this by having people switch workplaces on time.’
Is this change of course enough?
‘No, this is a start. We should also look at the police academy. There, students are already faced with discrimination. And then they hear: oh well, get used to it, because you will also get it outside. Things have to change there already.’
In London, the chief of police recently resigned after pressure from the mayor, because she would have done too little against racism and discrimination. Are you afraid that something like this will happen to you here?
‘We always say: nobody here is bigger than the group. If necessary, this can be the consequence. Also for us. Ultimately, you are ultimately responsible for this policy and for the culture in the force. But quitting now won’t help this problem.’