Advice after racial profiling and use of force

How to file a complaint?

We advise filing a complaint when a police officer is unfriendly or blunt, does not listen to you or does not take you seriously. You can file a complaint untill one year after the incident. You can't complain about a fine, and you can't complain about policies and regulations. You can file a complaint by letter, through the online complaint form or verbally (contact details here). In the latter case, you can contact the police service center at 0900-8844. Unable to file a complaint? Ask for the service number of the officer who speaks to you and give it to us.

Advice for a good complaint?

To properly handle the complaint, it is necessary to provide the complaint with name and address, contact information, the date the complaint is filed, a clear description of the behavior you are filing a complaint about and where the incident occurred. Describe clearly and factually what happened that you are filing a complaint for. If you send a letter, remember to sign it and include a copy of your ID. After filing your complaint, you will receive a reference number. Save that number.

Information about the complaints procedure

Complaints against police officers are taken up by an officer from the Security, Integrity and Complaints Department (VIK, in Dutch). The VIK is the police department's internal integrity office. The first step in the complaint process is an interview with a complaint handler. The complaint handler will listen to your story, as well as hear from the officers involved. The conversation serves as an attempt to mediate the conflict so that you can resolve it together. You may skip this stage if you do not want to meet with the officers. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this conversation or want to skip this phase, you will end up at the complaints committee. They will invite you to a meeting during which the committee will hear from everyone involved. Then the committee will decide whether your complaint is founded or unfounded. If you disagree with their decision, you can continue the complaint with the National Ombudsman. You can find the statutory regulation on the complaint’s procedure here.

Complaint and a fine?

If you file a complaint and also submit an objection to a fine, your complaint will not be handled until the CJIB (Central Judicial Collection Agency) or the court has assessed the objection. The reason for this is that the handling of the complaint must not interfere with the judicial process. If the complaint is about something other than what the court can adjudicate (for example: the way in which the police handled you, or the placing of handcuffs) then the police must deal with that part of the complaint. You can find more information about this in this Ombudsman's report (page 27 onwards).

Why filing a complaint can make sense

The complaint handler is employed by the police and is not independent. The members of the complaints committee are not employed by the police but are often associated with the police and judiciary. Controle Alt Delete is therefore critical of the complaint’s procedure. Nevertheless, we do encourage people to file a complaint: if you don't file a complaint, it hasn't officially happened. Moreover, you enable Controle Alt Delete to track your complaint, which allows us to work to improve both the complaints procedure and the work of the police. Information from the police about the complaint’s procedure can be found here.

We recommend reporting the incident if the officer racially profiles you, calls you racist names, and in cases of excessive use of force. Not sure if the violence was excessive? Then first read How do you recognize excessive use of force?

How to file a criminal report?

If you plan to file a police report, it is smart to gather as much evidence as possible. The more evidence, the better. With a report, you are asking the Public Prosecutor to prosecute the officer(s) involved. The prosecutor will only prosecute if there is evidence. Call 0900-8844 to make an appointment to report it to the police. If you have made a request to secure the images, indicate this when you make the report.

Unable to file a criminal report against a police officer? Ask for the service number of the officer who speaks to you and give it to us. If you really can't, a report can also be sent in writing to the relevant police unit headquarters tav the criminal investigation department. Send the entire file: the story and supporting documents. Indicate which fact you are reporting. Someone else can also do this for you, but please enclose a signed authorization form and a copy of your ID. You can find an example of an authorization form here.

Reports against police officers are taken by an officer from the Security, Integrity and Complaints Department (VIK). VIK is the internal integrity office of the police. Your report is then reviewed by the OM (Public Prosecution). The OM will then let you know by letter whether the officer will be prosecuted. There is no deadline for this: it can take several days, weeks, months or longer.

If they decide not to prosecute and you are convinced that there was a criminal offense with sufficient evidence? Then you can ask the Court of Appeal through a so-called Article 12-procedure to force the Public Prosecutor to prosecute. A lawyer can help you with this.

Did the violence happen in a public place? Then it is a good idea to investigate whether cameras were hanging there. Do that by going back to the place where it happened or by using the street view function of Google Maps. Are they cameras belonging to a private individual or a company? Just ring the doorbell and ask if you can view or have the footage. If you are only allowed to view: make a video of it. If you cannot have or view the footage yourself: ask if they will secure the footage by storing it on their computer. If you don't do this, the images will be automatically erased in the future.

Are there municipal cameras, or were the officers wearing bodycams? As a victim, you have no right to view this footage. When you file a report have included in the report that any bodycam footage and municipal camera footage will be "secured" and added to the file. Do so as soon as possible, as recorded camera footage is automatically deleted after 28 days. This applies to municipal cameras on the street and officers' bodycams.

Were there people present? Ask them to write down a witness statement and make sure they sign it with their name, date and a signature. Take this statement with you when you go to report the crime and include a copy of their identification documents. Don't forget to ask witnesses if they took video footage of the incident. Make sure you receive this footage and save it properly. Bring them with you to the appointment for the report.

If you have been injured, take pictures of your injuries. If you are seriously injured, make an appointment with your doctor, and ask for a doctor's report. Add this to your supporting documents and bring it with you when you go to file a police report.

Did the police cause damage to your property? If so, in addition to your complaint or report, you can file a claim for damages here. It is important to remember that there is a different procedure for handling damage claims. If your complaint is declared founded, this does not immediately mean that your damages will also be compensated. Also, the damage claim will not be processed until the complaint procedure is completed

We recommend filing a complaint when a BOA calls you names or otherwise treats you badly. Be sure to gather as much evidence as possible. File a complaint with the organization where the BOA works. For example, if the BOA works for the municipality of Rotterdam, file a complaint with the municipality of Rotterdam. If the BOA works for a bus company, such as Conexxion or Arriva, file a complaint with them.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint handling, you can continue your complaint with the National Ombudsman. You can file a complaint with the National Ombudsman by calling 0800-33 55 555 or by filling out the online complaint form at the Ombudsman. The procedure followed at the Ombudsman's office depends greatly on the type of complaint and the agency involved.

We advise you to file a report in case of racial profiling, racial slurs and when a BOA uses excessive force: force that was not necessary to achieve the goal, or was disproportionate to the offense for which someone was stopped. Not sure if the force was disproportionate? Then first read How do you recognize disproportionate force?

If you plan to file a police report, it is smart to gather as much evidence as possible. The more evidence, the better. With a report, you are asking the Public Prosecutor's Office to prosecute the BOA(s) involved. The prosecutor will only prosecute if there is evidence. Call 0900-8844 to make an appointment to report to the police. If you made a request to secure the footage, indicate this when making the report.

Police employees sometimes state that you cannot file a report against BOA’s but must file a complaint. This is not true: as a citizen, you can report a crime committed, even if it involves police officers or BOA’s. So stand your ground.

Didn't succeed? Ask for the service number of the officer who answers your call and let us know. If you really can't make it, you can also send a report in writing to the relevant police headquarters for the criminal investigation department. Send the entire file: the story and supporting documents. Indicate which fact you are reporting. Someone else can also do this for you, but please enclose a signed authorization form and a copy of your ID. You can find an example of an authorization form here.

The OM will then let you know by letter whether the BOA will be prosecuted. There is no deadline for this: it can take several days, weeks, months or longer. Is it decided not to prosecute the officer and do you think that is unjustified? Then you can ask the Court of Appeal through a so-called Article 12 procedure to force the Public Prosecutor to prosecute. A lawyer can help you with this.

Did the violence happen in a public place? Then it is a good idea to investigate whether cameras were hanging there. Do that by going back to the place where it happened or by using the streetview function of Google Maps. Are they cameras belonging to a private individual or a company? Just ring the doorbell and ask if you can view or have the footage. If you are only allowed to view: make a video of it. If you cannot have or view the footage yourself: ask if they will secure the footage by storing it on their computer. If you don't do this, the images will be automatically transferred.

Are there municipal cameras, or were the BOA’s wearing bodycams? As a victim, you have no right to view this footage. When you file a report have included in the report that any bodycam footage and municipal camera footage will be "secured" and added to the file. Do so as soon as possible, as recorded camera footage is automatically deleted after 28 days. This applies to municipal cameras on the street and officers' bodycams.

Were there people present? Ask them to write down a witness statement and make sure they sign it with their name, date and a signature. Take this statement with you when you go to report the crime and also include a copy of their identification documents. Don't forget to ask witnesses if they took video footage of the incident. Make sure you receive this footage and save it properly. Bring them with you to the appointment for the report

If you have been injured, take pictures of your injuries. If you are seriously injured, make an appointment with your doctor and get a doctor's report. Add this to your supporting documents and bring it with you when you go to file a police report.

Did a BOA cause injury or damage to your property? If so, you can file a claim for damages. You can do this with the organization where the BOA works, such as the municipality or the bus company. The procedures vary by organization. The National Ombudsman previously published the damage compensation guide, found here, which should help organizations handle damage claims properly.

We recommend filing a complaint when a Dutch Border Police officer scolds or otherwise treats someone badly. Make sure you gather as much evidence as possible. Think about: video footage and witness statements. File a complaint online, using the complaint form. Be clear in your complaint about the date, location and incident you are complaining about. Do not forget to leave your contact information.

Complaints about the Dutch Border Police are handled by the Ministry of Defense. An advisor from the Central Organization for Defense Integrity will contact you. The complaint is handled by a Defence complaint handler. The same body handles complaints about private security personnel at airports. More information can be found here.

Was there racial profiling or racial slurs at an airport? Then file a report with Controle Alt Delete and we will link you to an anti-discrimination agency. The anti-discrimination agency will then help you file a complaint.

We recommend reporting racial slurs and when an employee of the Dutch Border Police uses excessive force: force that was not necessary to achieve the objective, or that was disproportionate to the offense for which someone was arrested. Not sure if the force was disproportionate? Then first read How do you recognize disproportionate force?

If you plan to file a police report, it is smart to gather as much evidence as possible. The more evidence, the better. With a report, you are asking the Public Prosecutor's Office to prosecute the Dutch Border Police officer(s) involved. The prosecutor will only prosecute if there is evidence. Call 0900-8844 to make an appointment to report to the police. If you have made a request to secure the images, indicate this when making the report.

Unable to do so? Ask for the service number of the officer who speaks to you and give it to us. If you really can't, a report can also be sent in writing to the relevant police unit headquarters t.a.v. the criminal investigation department. Send the entire file: the story and supporting documents. Indicate which fact you are reporting. Someone else can also do this for you, but please enclose a signed authorization form and a copy of your ID. You can find an example of an authorization form here.

Your report will then be reviewed by the police and the prosecutor's office. The OM will then let you know by letter whether the MP(s) will be prosecuted. There is no deadline for this: it can take several days, weeks, months or longer. If it is decided not to prosecute and you are convinced that there was a criminal offense with sufficient evidence? Then you can ask the Court of Appeal through a so-called Article 12-procedure to force the Public Prosecutor to prosecute. A lawyer can help you with this.

Are there municipal cameras, or were the Dutch Border Police officials wearing bodycams? As a victim, you have no right to view this footage. When you file a report have included in the report that any bodycam footage and municipal camera footage will be "secured" and added to the file. Do so as soon as possible, as recorded camera footage is automatically deleted after 28 days. This applies to municipal cameras on the street and officers' bodycams.

Were there people present? Ask them to write down a witness statement and make sure they sign it with their name, date and a signature. Take this statement with you when you go to report the crime and also include a copy of their identification documents. Don't forget to ask witnesses if they took video footage of the incident. Make sure you receive this footage and save it properly. Bring them with you to the report appointment.

If you were injured, take pictures of your injuries. If you are seriously injured, make an appointment with your doctor and get a doctor's report. Add this to your supporting documents and bring it with you when you go to file a police report.

Did the Dutch Border Police cause damage to you or your property? If so, you will find more information here. It is important to remember that there is a different procedure for handling a complaint than for handling damage claims.