Minister of Home Affairs wants to ban cannabis use by off duty police officers

January 31, 2008 - Amsterdam

Guusje ter Horst, Dutch Minister of Home Affairs, wants to ban cannabis use by off duty police officers. The use of cannabis can damage the officers' reputation and authority, the minister says.

The Amsterdam police precinct already specified this in their new behavior directive sent by this precinct to all the officers the beginning of this year (see this news article). But at the moment there's no national guideline due this matter.

Because of the new Amsterdam behavior directive some questions were asked to the minister in the parliament due this matter and the national guidelines. The minister now wants all forces throughout the country to ban the use of cannabis by off duty police officers in an attempt to preserve the reputation and authority of the police. Officers who still violate the regulations should be penalized with disciplinary sanctions.

Reaction of Hans van Duijn, chairman of the Dutch police union: "Many of our members are opposed to this..."

P.S. Before Guusje ter Horst was Minister of Home Affairs she was the mayor of Nijmegen. In this function, with a huge responsibility when it comes to 'reputation and authority', she was caught in July 2006 for drunk driving (off duty). Except a small fine, no disciplinary sanctions whatsoever of course. In those years she did suspend 4 police officers though… for drunk driving (off duty).