Two officers who have been punished for assaulting a detainee of Moroccan descent in The Hague have received a reduced sentence. The whistleblower who reported the abuses also leaves NRC.
The sentence dismissal of one of the two officers is withdrawn. The other officer receives a significant reduction in sentence. Both worked at the Hoefkade police station in The Hague during the incident.
The two officers were punished for being involved in the mistreatment of a Moroccan-born detainee. Agents abused the man with a baton, among other things. Then, in an app group, images of the detainee in the corridors of a cell complex were shared, showing that he could barely walk.
Fatima Aboulouafa also leaves the police. She says according to NRC that “the organization does not respect critical people”. The Leiden team chief and former agent at Hoefkade, together with other whistleblowers, reported the abuses to the Hoefkade bureau. Aboulouafa stated that the agents involved in the incident called themselves “Moroccan exterminators.”
Punished officers objected to treatment
An internal investigation eventually concluded that there was no discrimination. After the investigation, as many as four officers disciplined for “disproportionate violence in an arrest”, six received a warning. The most severe penalties involved staff dismissal and a cut in rank.
The two most severely punished officers are now given a lighter sentence after they objected to their treatment during the investigation. According to them, the principle of confidentiality was harmed because they had already been transferred to the police team in Gouda before the investigation was completed, where they were given extra duties. The penalty strike is converted to a decrease in rank in scale. The reduction in rank becomes a suspended sentence.
Paul Musscher, the highest police boss in The Hague, decided to reduce the sentences this week after advice from the state lawyer and police lawyers. The police say to it NRC regret the state of affairs surrounding the transfer. No clear agreements were made about this between managers.
Whistleblower was sent away after discussions
Aboulouafa had been talking to her executives about a possible new place within the police since late 2019. Negotiations are still in progress. After she rang the bell at the Hoefkade, the agent was promoted to team chief in Leiden. There she was eventually expelled because she “would not be in communication” with the police.
A number of other team leaders no longer wanted to work with her, including after fierce discussions arose about her candid use of social media. Aboulouafa spoke on Instagram about abuse of power and discrimination within the police.
Aboulouafa told NU.nl that he would like to work for the police in December. The team leader of Moroccan-Dutch descent had been working for the police for 25 years. She was not available for a response on Thursday.
Two other whistleblowers were arrested
Two other whistleblowers were arrested in December on suspicion of leaking confidential information NRC. The 37-year-old female agent and 46-year-old male colleague are hanging over the head.
One of them had informed the newspaper that her new team leader had sexually assaulted her. The 37-year-old woman had just been transferred to Haarlemmermeer, after she rang the bell about abuse of power at the Hoefkade.
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