Police chiefs have admitted to changing duty rotas to accommodate officers who have โmoral objectionsโ to protecting Jewish events and buildings such as the national holocaust museum.
Mireille Beentjes, a spokeswoman for the national police force leadership, told the Telegraaf that the force took individual objections into account when drawing up duty rotas.
โThere is no hard and fast policy,โ she said. โThe line is that police staff are allowed to have moral objections.
โWe take moral objections into account when we make the rotas. But if there is an urgent job to do they go on duty whether they want to or not.โ
Michel Theeboom, one of the leaders of the Jewish Police Network, said he was concerned that officers were being allowed to opt out of duties that clashed with their personal views.
โDuring the preparations for security at the Holocaust Museum there were colleagues who didnโt want to be rostered in,โ he said. โYouโre allowed to get food and drink in the building while on duty, for example, but they didnโt want to.โ
โSecurity comes firstโ
National police commissioner Janny Knol said officers refusing to guard Jewish buildings would not be tolerated, but discussions were ongoing about how to deal with conscientious objections.
โPolice staff are people and they have the right to their own views and the emotions that go with them,โ she said. โBut where peopleโs security is concerned that is our top priority. We are here for everyone.โ
Justice minister David van Weel said it was โunacceptableโ for officers to refuse to go on duty for reasons of conscience.
โI canโt stop what people think, feel or believe,โ he said. โBut you should leave it at home. As a police officer, as soon as you put on your uniform you have a job to do, and that job is totally neutral.โ
Farmersโ protests
And Nine Kooiman, chair of the national police union, said officersโ first duty was to protect society.
โWe see conscientious objections at farmersโ protests and demonstrations by Extinction Rebellion as well,โ she said. โThe question is whether we should act on them. But if you give way to everyone thereโs no end to it.
โWhen youโre serving society you have to leave your personal considerations and emotions out of it.โ