The Netherlands – Henk van Essen has informed Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of Justice and Security that he wants to step down as Chief of Police early next year. On October 1, he will have been in the corps leadership for ten years. According to Van Essen, ‘a beautiful and natural moment to hand over the baton’. The procedure for his successor is started.
Van Essen will then have a career of more than 44 years with the police. After the Police Academy, he started his career at the municipal police of The Hague and worked, among other things, as a detective in the Schilderswijk. He was also riot police commander, chief of the Segbroek bureau and the Narcotics bureau, chief of Personnel & Organization and from 2007 chief of the then Haaglanden police force.
Shortly after the formation of the National Police in 2013, Van Essen started in the force leadership, where he had been a deputy since 2016 and took over the position of chief of police in May 2020, when Erik Akerboom left for the AIVD.
‘In my time in the corps leadership, an incredible amount has happened: the attack on the tram in Utrecht, corona and the curfew riots, the murders of the brother of the crown witness, Derk Wiersum and Peter R. de Vries, the asylum crisis and we have the have had to supervise more demonstrations than ever in recent years. And despite everything, confidence in the police is still as high as ever, and I’m proud of that. But the challenges remain as great as ever. Capacity is under pressure and with it our visibility and approachability in the neighbourhoods. Cybercrime is increasing and crime is becoming increasingly international. This requires new and often more digital answers. A task for the next generation.’
Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of Justice and Security greatly appreciates the unbridled efforts of Chief of Police Henk van Essen for the Dutch police: ‘From the start of the National Police, Henk van Essen was the experienced police officer in the force leadership who ensured that professionalism was high on the agenda. the agenda remained. In complex and turbulent times, he has kept the course as chief of police and the foundations in the organization have been further put in order. In doing so, he always stood right in front of his people.’
Information source: Politie.nl
