United in favor of more police capacity in Limburg

The appeal filed by the 7 municipalities of Parkstad and Vaals against the Regional Police Policy Plan (RBP) has been declared unfounded by the Minister of Justice and Security. The appeal sounded the alarm about the sharp decrease in police capacity that the RBP would mean for the Parkstad region. The mayors of the Parkstad Limburg region, as well as Regional Mayor Hillenaar of Limburg, continue to jointly emphasize that this outcome does not eliminate the major shortage of police capacity throughout Limburg. An observation also endorsed by the other mayors of Limburg. The mayors therefore state that it will be very difficult to implement the ambitions the policy plan sets for the coming years. 

Mayor Roel Wever of Heerlen reacts partly on behalf of the mayors of Kerkrade, Landgraaf, Beekdaelen, Brunssum, Voerendaal and Simpelveld: "The whole of Limburg, so all mayors, actually need more police capacity because of our unique location and position. We as Parkstad have fought for our cause, and we are allowed to do so. However, the decision of the Minister of Justice and Security to declare the appeal unfounded does not change the message and commitment of the joint Limburg mayors, namely: The police in Limburg are under heavy pressure, so the cake must be bigger and stronger!"

Overclaimed 

On Jan. 22, the mayors of Heerlen, Landgraaf, Kerkrade, Voerendaal, Simpelveld, Beekdaelen, Brunssum and Vaals jointly went to The Hague for a hearing on the appeal in this matter. Mayor Roel Wever: "What is also unfortunate in declaring the appeal unfounded is that so far the minister is not thinking along in creative solutions to the problem of too little police capacity in Limburg." Mayor Wim Hillenaar of Maastricht, also Regional Mayor of the Limburg Unit: "We have tried with a careful process to distribute the scarcity as carefully as possible. The minister has adopted that. Of course this is disappointing for the municipalities that objected. But we have also made it clear that the police capacity in Limburg must increase. Hopefully that will lead to results in the now imminent new national redistribution of that capacity."

Mayor Harry Leunessen of Vaals specifically appealed on the grounds of conflict with the Police Act: "According to Article 3 of the Police Act, the police must ensure the effective maintenance of law and order and provide assistance to those in need. With the current formation, the basic police team in the Heuvelland can no longer adequately perform these tasks. Adoption of the Police Policy Plan for the Limburg Unit is therefore, in my opinion, contrary to article 3 of the Police Act. I am disappointed that the Minister does not now face that."

Limburg has been lobbying for some time to strengthen the entire criminal justice chain in the province. The police are no longer able to keep the broad base in order, but are primarily engaged in incident response, while there should be room at the front. Police care throughout Limburg is primarily reactive, incident-driven and overburdened. Limburg scores high in crime figures, four Limburg municipalities are in the top 10 of the crime meter and 5 Limburg municipalities in the top 10 of the RTL undermining map. Recently, Professor Bob Hoogeboom noted that the police in Limburg are underprivileged and overloaded. 

Creative solutions

Roel Wever on behalf of the aforementioned municipalities, "Undermining and crime are a vital threat. But not only for this region, also for the rest of the country where it seeps through our borders. We want to remain in dialogue with The Hague on this issue. Together we will continue to look for creative solutions at all times to ensure safety and livability for all Limburgers." 

Wim Hillenaar: "It is not only about more people and resources, but also about investments in innovation, smart cooperation and sustainability in Limburg. Let me put it this way: because of this issue of the RBP, we in Limburg are actually only more in agreement with each other that the national government needs to act on this quickly."