THE HAGUE, 25/11/06 - The Hague police are sending 25 officers to Morocco to get acquainted with the culture of this North African country. This should help them deal with young Moroccan criminals in a more adequate manner, newspaper Algemeen Dagblad revealed Friday.
"Tackling criminal young Moroccans takes top priority. But in order to deal with them, we also need to immerse ourselves in their background. They do not behave like native Dutch people, but idolise Moroccan culture. We should actually know this culture," according to The Hague police chief Gerard Bouman.
Next year, Bouman will become head of the General Intelligence and Security Service AIVD. He is to start on 1 January and will formally succeed current AIVD boss Sybrand van Hulst on 1 December 2007, the cabinet decided last week.
Bouman's police officers will stay in Morocco for several weeks. In his view, Moroccan youngsters are impressed when spoken to by officers who know something about Morocco. "Moroccan officers find it hard to believe the kind of problems we face in the Netherlands," he added. "Youngsters do not behave like that in Morocco".
Independent MP Geert Wilders, leader of the new rightwing PVV party, has requested the Justice and Home Affairs ministers in writing to "put a stop to these sort of politically correct projects for once and for all". He also wished to know "whether it would not be better to send Moroccan criminals (back) to Morocco, rather than sending Dutch police people?"
Radio programme Standpunt on Friday presented the statement: "It is a good thing that Hague police officers are getting work practice in Morocco". Thirty-six percent of respondents agreed and 64 percent disagreed.
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