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31 January 2008
THE HAGUE – Home Affairs Minister Guusje ter Horst thinks that police officers should be barred from using soft drugs while off duty. Drug use can damage the officers’ reputation and authority, the minister says.
She is urging police chiefs to introduce a uniform guideline prohibiting police officers from using soft drugs in their free time. Ter Horst wrote this in answer to questions from Freedom party PVV MP Hero Brinkman, which were published on Thursday.
The Amsterdam-Amstelland police force recently set down in its guidelines that officers may not use soft drugs in their free time because they should set an example with their behaviour even while off duty.
Other police forces also enforce regulations regarding soft drug use. Officers who violate the regulations can be penalised with disciplinary sanctions.
The minister now wants all forces throughout the country to ban soft drug use by off duty police officers in an attempt to preserve the reputation and authority of the police.
[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2008]
Subject: Dutch news