Exactly four weeks after the new board of the police union (SPA) took office, their top priority remains keeping members fully informed and updated—whether through chat groups, emails, or general meetings. This was recently announced by the union’s president, Lito Lacle.
According to Lacle, the board aims to practice total transparency with its members, who now have the power to introduce motions to give the board a clear mandate on the steps that need to be taken.
Structural requests unanswered since February
He explained that since June 1st, the board has sent four letters to Police Management. These letters address topics of utmost importance for the force, including:
• Bulletproof vests for police officers
• The samwerkingsprotocol (collaboration protocol)
• Restructuring of the police force
• The situation regarding the beach police (strandpolitie)
Police Management was given a two-week deadline to reply to these letters. Although a response was received on June 13th, Lacle emphasized that the situation surrounding the bulletproof vests remains concerning. Police Management had already sent a reply indicating that the process was supposed to start. However, as of today, June 29th, nothing concrete has been done.
The board appointed two SPA colleagues to join the committee in charge of setting the procedures for the bulletproof vests, but so far, the union has not received any official invitation to participate.
Regarding the samwerkingsprotocol, Lacle informed that a meeting was held with Police Management on June 16th. On June 17th, the Chief of Staff of Police Management personally received the draft of the protocol.
Currently, alongside two board members, this document is being reviewed. Lacle highlighted the importance of involving board members who come directly from the work floor—specifically from the beach patrol (stranddienst)—as they are the ones who truly know what happens in daily practice, while others often live far removed from that reality.
Current Alert: Mental health and safety on the streets
In closing, the union leader raised the alarm regarding two major issues the force is currently facing. One of them is the mental health of colleagues. SPA insists that the safety of officers on the streets must be guaranteed, and at the same time, it is urgently necessary to have a structural and completely clear protocol on how to provide adequate assistance to employees going through a crisis or in need of psychological support.
SPA President Lito Lacle Demands Transparency and Answers from Police Management on Crucial Issues
