The police responded to a broadcast of Zembla, which focused on an arrest with a police dog in March. In addition, excessive force was used, is the opinion of the Public Prosecution Service (OM) in the broadcast. Chief of Police Henk van Essen wants to investigate whether applicable guidelines, which tell when the use of a service dog is justified, “have the desired effect”.
The use of police dogs is not described in the official instructions of officers. At the moment, at the request of the National Ombudsman, an advisory committee would review the guidelines on the use of service dogs. Van Essen states that the advice “will be given an important position in the official instruction”. The “clear rules” will officially enter into force next year, but the new regulations are already being followed internally, he adds.
The police chief states that in “the vast majority of cases” an applied amount of force is used by Dutch agents. “Afterwards, the effort is always tested for proportionality: mistakes are corrected and lessons are learned”, says Van Essen.
Currently, a service dog is used in an arrest with an increased risk or if the public order is seriously compromised, the police write. “The images usually look fierce,” adds Van Essen. “It affects everyone involved. Our starting point is to achieve our goal with as little violence as possible,” adds the police chief.
‘Easy to say afterwards: that could have been done differently’
Van Essen confirms that there is an internal investigation into a dog handler after the Public Prosecution Service concluded that excessive force had been used in an arrest. In addition, the police chief warns against the idea “that could have been done differently”. According to Van Essen, it is easy to say in retrospect: “It is important that we learn from these casuistry and apply findings in future performances.”
Zembla showed images of an arrest with a police dog in March, in which a suspect, who was under the influence of laughing gas, caused nuisance. The man was overpowered by the use of a police dog and then tagged. When the suspect was on the ground, officers continued to use force. In addition, the dog continued to bite, even though the dog handler ordered him to let go several times.
Police scientist Jaap Timmer mentioned the police deployment in conversation with Zembla “illicit use of force and a form of torture”. Van Essen points out the important role that service dogs have in the police. “They are deployed thousands of times every year and ensure that many dangerous situations are prevented or ended. This benefits both the safety of colleagues and citizens.”
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