The police fear that without additional funding they will lose the fight against crime and be unable to be a good employer. The extra money should give the police room to make choices within the budget and respond flexibly to developments.
Police chiefs made the call for additional funding Tuesday in a policy document addressed to the national government. Mayors, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Central Works Council support the call.
According to the police, a budget deficit of 850 million is looming in 2030. The police summit is looking at what is possible in terms of cuts to solve that deficit. For example, the police top will organize ICT projects differently and hire far fewer external consultancies. But after those measures, a deficit of 350 million euros remains.
The police have tried internally to solve financial deficits several times in recent years. “The time of covering structural deficits with understaffing is over,” the police write in the policy document. Therefore, the police see the additional funding of 350 million euros as the “absolute lower limit” needed to maintain police duties.
