The municipalities of Zwolle, Apeldoorn and Deventer do not want – or not yet – that their special investigating officers (boas) be equipped with a short baton. Since this summer, municipalities can apply for a permit for this from the local triangle, but this has not yet resulted in the baton becoming available for the boas in many more places.
Many of the large municipalities do not (yet) want the baton to become part of the standard equipment of the boa, according to a poll by the ANP. The municipalities of Amsterdam, The Hague, Haarlem, Maastricht, Leiden, Delft and Arnhem, among others, have not yet decided. This is the status at 11 of the 32 municipalities surveyed.
For example, Delft says that this year it first started with, among other things, handcuffs. “But we are not yet ready for further equipment with means of force.” Discussions are still ongoing at several of these municipalities.
Of the 32 municipalities surveyed, Breda, Ede, Den Bosch, Zoetermeer, Alkmaar and Haarlemmermeer say that boas already have or will have a baton. Thirteen municipalities do not want to give their boas a baton. For example, Alphen aan den Rijn states that there are no structural problems ‘which are the reason for arming the boas’.
In June, Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz (Justice) wrote to the House that municipalities can start an application with the local triangle (police, justice and mayor). The triangle advises the minister, who ultimately decides.
BOA Bond satisfied with outcome
About 23,000 boas work in the Netherlands, including as enforcers for municipalities, forest rangers and in public transport. The BOA ACP trade union and the Dutch Boa Bond have been arguing for a baton among boas for some time, especially when the aggression against them increased when they had to check compliance with the corona measures.
Ruud Kuin, chairman of the Dutch BOA Bond, says he is satisfied with the outcome, because many municipalities already know that they are going to introduce a baton or are thinking about it. He does mention that applications from municipalities encounter bureaucracy. According to him, this has to do with the fact that the police and the Public Prosecution Service have come up with a list of criteria.
This view is confirmed by Richard Gerritsen, chairman of the BOA ACP trade union. “We are disappointed with the additional information that is needed. The extra bureaucracy slows things down.” The police say in response to this that, because boas experienced differences in advice and awards, there was a need for more transparency. “This is the result of extensive motivation for a decision based on an assessment framework. That makes the decision-making process more labour-intensive.”
Between the end of August and the end of October, all 32 municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants were approached for this tour. In addition, questions were asked about the most recent state of affairs with regard to the introduction of a baton at boas. Four municipalities did not respond to the question. In some cases, how they deal with this policy has been found out in a different way, for example by reporting in (local) media.
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