The Dutch police are ceasing efforts to appoint Chief Commissioner Jannine van den Berg as vice president of the international police organization Interpol. The Netherlands withdraws its candidacy and now supports a Belgian candidate.
In recent months, the Netherlands has been engaged in a diplomatic battle with Belgium to win the prestigious high police post, reported NRC in June. The boss of the Dutch police, Henk van Essen, led a personal lobby to get the boss of the National Unit (LE) who resigned last year and a good personal friend of his, Van den Berg, appointed. He himself approached the Dutch ambassador in Belgium, Pieter Jan Kleiweg de Zwaan, to commit himself to the Dutch candidate.
The Netherlands has now decided to support the Belgian candidate, the director of international police cooperation at the Belgian federal police, Peter De Buysscher. “As neighboring countries, we have many shared interests with Belgium and can represent them more effectively jointly and in coordination with each other,” said a spokesperson for the National Police.
‘Minister not in favor’
In police and judicial circles it can be heard that the Dutch minister Dilan Yesilgöz (Justice and Security, VVD) was not in favor of the promotion of Jannine van den Berg, her nomination led to divisions within the National Police. Under the rule of Jannine van den Berg, the LE was regularly discredited for three suicides of officers and signals of “undesirable behaviour, a wrong style of leadership, abuse of power and unprofessional conduct”. according to the Justice and Security Inspectorate early this year. A spokesman for the minister says “does not know” whether Yesilgöz supported Jannine van den Berg’s nomination.
Also read: Disagreement with Belgium over nomination of Dutch police chief for top position at Interpol
There was also opposition in the House of Representatives to Van den Berg’s candidacy for Interpol. Lilian Helder (PVV) called the nomination “favouritism” and “a slap in the face of the workplace and relatives”. Member of Parliament Michiel van Nispen (SP) said he feared that officers would not understand that you “fly out if you are difficult or make mistakes, but at the top of the police you seem to be rewarded with a nice function”.
working together
The National Police announced on Monday afternoon that they want to work together “because of our close relationship with Belgium”. Because Van den Berg also held a position on the board of Interpol from 2018 to 2021, “Belgium’s candidacy is now supported”. Two months ago, the National Police said that Van den Berg’s previous position at Interpol “has provided an extensive international network that is of great value to the Netherlands and Europe when it comes to fighting crime”.
Who will become one of the three vice presidents of Interpol – successor to the Czech Šárka Havránková – on behalf of Europe will be decided at the Interpol annual general meeting to be held in India in October. When asked, Jannine van den Berg says she can “live well” with the fact that she is no longer nominated at Interpol.