Netherlands: political intelligence
01 September 1991
In June 1991, the long-awaited report was published of the working group "co-operation structure Police/BVD", chaired by the Apeldoorn chief of police, J W Bakker. This report proposes some solutions to the continuing problem of local political intelligence mishaps by the Plaatselijke Inlichtingendiensten (PID's), resulting from outdated concepts and amateurish methods of local sleuths spying on pacifists and communists.
The 40-page report stresses the importance of a professional approach to local political intelligence gathering. Parallel to the ongoing police reorganization, which will transform the Dutch police into 25 regional departments and one national body, the working group advises creating regional intelligence services (RID's), staffed with full-time personnel. Strict planning, reporting and evaluation procedures are proposed to change the present semi-autonomous practices, and integrated training programs of BVD and police personnel are proposed to bring RID and BVD employees on the same level of knowledge and skills. One important element in the reforms will be the central administration of all political intelligence in a region,
including the detailed registration of all "work contacts" with agents and informers "for the protection of the employees themselves."
This is clearly a reaction to past events in which PID case officers were "taken over" or blackmailed by their contacts or started deploying them for their own private undertakings,
including cases of fraud, extortion and arson.
By tasking the new RID's with providing tailored BVD information to local authorities, a more effective and influential use of intelligence is anticipated. Also, structural co-operation with local criminal intelligence services involving exchange of information and sharing of investigation facilities is deemed necessary to deal with "disruptive phenomena" of shared interest.
In relation to present developments on the European scene, the new RID's are to establish or intensify contacts with their foreign counterparts. The committee proposes profiting from experiences with methodologies and training courses in the field of political intelligence in other Schengen or Trevi states. Even more urgent however is the lack of standardization in local PID computer systems, which in many cases renders an efficient exchange of information virtually impossible. The Dutch parliament is expected to discuss the new proposals at the end of the year.