Government looking for ways to reduce paper burden of police

VENLO — Dutch citizens wants to see more ‘blue uniforms’ on the country’s streets. Complaints about the limited visibility of the police were documented in a recent report to the government. The was reason enough for junior minister staatssecretaris Bijleveld of Binnenlandse Zaken (Home Affairs), to pay the Venlo police force a visit for talks with the elusive members of the blue brigade. Bijleveld was told that there is too much paperwork to process tickets, even in the cases of minor violations. The report estimates that 20 percent of police time is taken up by administrative follow-up work for a ticket involving a minor violation. In contrast, detective reports can take up to nearly 40 percent of police time. Bijleveld is looking for ways to reduce the paper burden, she said.