NCJ Number
220154
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management Volume: 30 Issue: 3 Dated: 2007 Pages: 518-532
Date Published
2007
Length
15 pages
Annotation
In an attempt to understand Dutch policing in relation to the pressures of the new demands on national security, this paper addresses the changing organization and culture of the Dutch police over the last decade.
Abstract
The Netherlands, once a country with a reputation of tolerant community policing, appears to be on its way to a punitive and defensive country. The Dutch are traditionally known for their relaxed and open-minded outlook on deviance, which has shaped a social penal atmosphere. Times have changed. Crime, terrorism, and general public fears have caught frontline police officers between liberal ideals and burning security issues. This has resulted in tendencies of centralization, penalization, and responsibilization. The combination of centralization and penalization at the national and responsibilization at the local level may appear to be very influential. This means the continuation of Dutch policing as pragmatic, social, and friendly is under pressure of centralization and penalization, while, at the local level, police forces are sharing responsibilities for safety and security with others. It is difficult to foresee what further consequences the developments will have for the culture and organization of policing. From the 1960s onwards, the Netherlands was famous for its pragmatic, decentralized, and friendly style of community policing. Drawing on personal observation, desk research, and a survey among the police and administrative elite in the Netherlands, this paper describes, analyzes, and reflects upon developments which are out of tune with the Dutch tradition. Tables, figures, and references