Policing and democracy in the Netherlands

the long version

Since 1990, the Policy Studies Institute has been engaged in a programme of research examining how and why policing policy changes. This book provides a detailed examination of the making of policing policy in the Netherlands, and complements earlier work in England and France. It describes the evolution of the current organisation of the Dutch police, and how this fits into the broader framework of democratic institutions. Three specific areas of policing policy are considered: the major restructuring of the Dutch police system which began in the early 1990s; the growth in attention given to crime prevention in the Netherlands; and new policing responses to crimes against women and children. The book discusses the issue of police accountability in the Netherlands, and draws broad comparisons with the situation in England. The study provides the basis for a clearer understanding of the complex relationship between policing and democracy in different national contexts.