OECD: Dutch students unmotivated, classes unruly

A major study by the OECD concludes that nowhere in the world are school students as undisciplined and unmotivated as in the Netherlands.  Even good pupils show little motivation.  The Dutch education system doesn’t inspire them to make the necessary effort.  Yet the Dutch education system itself is not bad, and a relatively high number of Dutch citizens have graduated from high school.  In mathematics, natural sciences and languages, Dutch students are better than their peers but grade lower than Asians.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/oeso-nederlandse-scholier-ongemotiveerd-amper-orde-in-klas-veel-talent-onbenut~a4307999/

Four out of ten babies have unmarried parents

The percentage of parents who are unmarried or have no registered partnership has greatly increased in the past decades. In 1990 it was 11 percent, and now it is 44 percent. For first-born children, the figure is over 50 percent. This data was made public by the Central Bureau of Statistics. For nine out of ten children born out of wedlock, the father is known. Most fathers formally acknowledge their babies during pregnancy. Only in the Netherlands Bible Belt is the percentage of children born to married parents high.

www.volkskrant.nl/magazine/vier-op-de-tien-baby-s-hebben-ongetrouwde-ouders~a4305707/

Lawyers: Police steal money and valuables

Four Dutch lawyers say that the police regularly steal money and valuables during investigations and arrests.  The national ombudsman has started an investigation and hopes to reach conclusions during the summer.  Lawyer Louis de Leon says that whatever can be stolen, is stolen.  Money, jewels, drugs, cars and Rolexes.  The police regret that the lawyers have not given concrete examples to support their allegations on television. 

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/25887881/__Strafpleiters___Politie_steelt___.html

Increase in violence against public transportation employees

Abuse of public transportation staff is becoming increasingly violent.  This was stated by university lecturer Ronald van Steden at the Amsterdam Free University.  He said that while the number of incidents has remained more or less stable, employees are confronted with extreme cases of robbery, armed assault and bodily harm.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/25861671/___Geweld_in_OV_steeds_heftiger___.html

Military Police Insufficiently Trained

New recruits to the Royal Dutch Military Police, currently being trained for guarding and security duties against terror, are receiving poor instruction.  This became clear after a visit of members of parliament to the Military Police’s training center in Apeldoorn.  The main shortcoming is that recruits are not receiving adequate training in how to shoot.  In the parliamentary debate, Minister Hennis of Defense could not yet respond to the complaints but promised to investigate the matter.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/25861525/__Trainingen_KMar_ondermaats__.html

Unnecessary Cancer Deaths in Dutch Hospitals

Cancer patients do not get the same level of treatment in hospitals due to cost-cutting measures.  This was reported by Professor Carin Uyl in her official inaugural lecture at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam.  Some hospitals prefer not to prescribe expensive drugs, for which the hospital has to carry 20% of the costs.  In addition, hospitals do not always prescribe diagnostic tests to identify the nature and type of cancer, which have nowadays become very expensive.  As a result there are unnecessary deaths from cancer in Dutch hospitals.

http://nos.nl/artikel/242015-ongelijkheid-in-kankerzorg-leidt-tot-meer-doden.html

Three thousand police employees haven’t yet been screened

Approximately three thousand employees of the police have not yet gone through the screening process.  This was reported to parliament by Minister Ard van der Steur of Security and Justice. None of these people have access to the most confidential information. Yet this issue has been investigated because last year a policeman was arrested who had leaked information to criminals.  It turned out that he had not yet been screened.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/25822417/__Politie_moet_nog_screenen__.html

Dutch Hotel Rooms often dirty

The consumer organization Consumentenbond has investigated thirty hotel rooms in 3- or 4-star hotels, owned by both individuals and chains.  Findings in these rooms included, inter alia, thick layers of dirt on the floor, mold and stains on the walls, litter, befouled mattresses including dried blood and hairs, as well as fecal bacteria on the shower floor.

http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/4306640/2016/05/24/Nederlandse-hotelkamers-vaak-ronduit-smerig.dhtml

Amsterdam again the least safe city in the Netherlands

In 2015 Amsterdam was again the least safe municipality of the Netherlands.  This results from information published by the AD crime meter which is based on police data.  The main contribution to its poor rating is the large number of pickpocketing and street robberies.  In 2015, there were 170 complaints of rape, as against 98 a year before.  Following Amsterdam, which has been leading the field for many years, in 2015 Maastricht came second in the ranking. 

http://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/amsterdam-opnieuw-onveiligste-gemeente-van-nederland~a4305439/

Inspectorate: Many hospitals fall short of health requirements

The Inspectorate of health care has investigated 25 hospitals.  Of these, 22 did not meet standards.  For instance, cleaning staff should be more effective and disinfect areas more stringently.  Furthermore, patients should be better evaluated with regard to contagious diseases on arrival at the hospital.  In ten hospitals, insufficient attention is given to whether patients are infected with resistant bacteria.  In three-quarters of hospitals, isolation room techniques are not up to date, and staff should be better trained in isolation procedures.

http://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/ziekenhuizen-doen-niet-genoeg-om-infecties-te-voorkomen~a4303941/

University: Netherlands has lost much knowledge about fighting terror

Researchers from the University of Utrecht have carried out a study on behalf of the Scientific and Documentation Center (WODC) of the Ministry of Security and Justice. They investigated the period from 2011 to 2015. The researchers concluded that in the years 2011-2013 much capacity, contacts and knowledge had been lost. In those years there was less attention for threats. The head of the main anti-terror body NCTV Dick Schoof agreed with the main findings of the report.

 www.rtvutrecht.nl/nieuws/1477438/veel-terreurkennis-en-capaciteit-weggelekt.html

Nuclear Center: Unsafe Storage of Radioactive Waste

Radioactive waste at the Nuclear Center in Petten is stored in an unsafe way.  Furthermore, the Center is so poorly guarded that it is an easy target for terrorists.  The management of the Center does not meet the legal requirements, because the managing company is in financial difficulties and may go bankrupt.

www.powned.tv/nieuws/binnenland/2016/05/radioactief_afval_petten_onvei.html

The Hague: Convicted Italian Mafioso arrested after 15 Years

An Italian pizza baker in The Hague, Rocco Gasperoni, was finally arrested after being sentenced to fourteen years in jail in Italy in 2007.  He has been on the run since that time and has successfully evaded arrest by security services who have been looking for him for fifteen years.  Neighbors say that his pizzas were the best in the neighborhood.

http://www.powned.tv/nieuws/binnenland/2016/05/maffiabaas_bakte_lekkerste_piz.html

Security personnel at Amsterdam airport may start sanctions.

A FNV trade union official has said that security personnel at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport are discussing sanctions in protest against their heavy workload.  This concerns the more than 1500 persons who work in the luggage rooms and in passenger and personnel security.

www.telegraaf.nl/feed/25802406/__Beveiligers_Schiphol_gaan_actie_voeren__.html

Inspectorate: Superficial processing of asylum seekers facilitates human trafficking terrorism

The inspectorate for security and justice writes in a confidential report that thousands of asylum seekers have entered the Netherlands this year without being properly processed.  This took place in the centers of Budel and Ter Apel.  There were no proper body searches, luggage was insufficiently checked, documents were not examined properly, and asylum seekers’ phones were not checked for information they contained.  The inspectorate concludes that this superficiality facilitates human trafficking and terrorism.

http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/38261/Nieuws/article/detail/4302037/2016/05/17/Controle-asielzoekers-niet-op-orde-in-Budel-en-Ter-Apel.dhtml

Amsterdam: Problems with Extinguishing Fire because Water Faucets had been Stolen

When a fire broke out in the new IJburg neighborhood in Amsterdam, the fire brigade found that there were no water faucets available as they had all been stolen by copper thieves two months previously, and were never replaced.  It therefore took much longer than usual to start extinguishing the fire.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/25712965/__Brandkranen_gestolen__nooit_vervangen__.html

Dutch Jihadi suspect had military information in his backpack

It has only now become known that a Dutch Jihadi suspect, Rached el J., had a disk full of military information in his backpack when he was arrested two years ago.  At that time he was about to travel to Syria.  The information included training schemes for Jihadis, training in fighting and survival techniques and the use of firearms.  His brother Soufian was killed last year in Syria.

http://www.gooieneemlander.nl/regionaal/gooivechtstreek/article28091537.ece/Huizer-naar-Syrie-met-militaire-info?lref=L1

Air Quality does not meet European Norm in 11 Dutch Locations

A report by the Environmental Defense Organization (Milieudefensie) notes that in 11 locations of 58 investigated the air quality does not meet European norms concerning nitrogendioxide. The problematic locations are in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Maastricht. The organization claims that the European norm is far too weak to protect people’s health. It adds “people have no choice of which air they respire. The problem is urgent.”  

http://nos.nl/artikel/2104341-rapport-luchtkwaliteit-in-nederland-op-11-plekken-onder-de-maat.html

Parliamentarians: Government should pay for guarding Jewish schools

Parliamentarian Joram Van Klaveren of the VNL party has said that the Jewish schools resemble fortifications which cannot be conquered. This is the result of fear. He added that it is wrong that these schools have to pay themselves so much money for their security. www.powned.tv/nieuws/binnenland/2016/05/overheid_moet_joodse_scholen_b.html

Police Service guarding Embassies overloaded

The pressure of the work at the police service Bewaken en Beveiligen (BB) is too heavy. This service is responsible for the guarding of embassies and other important buildings in The Hague. Currently also regular police carries out some of its tasks. There is also a lack of armed vehicles. The police trade union ACP has expressed its concern that the problems at the unit will also have international consequences.

www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1040/Den-Haag/article/detail/4295458/2016/05/06/Afdeling-die-ambassades-bewaakt-is-overbelast.dhtml

JEWISH ORGANIZATION PRESSES CHARGES AGAINST ANTISEMITIC SOCCER SUPPORTERS

The Jewish defense organization The Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI) is pressing charges against supporters of the Dutch soccer champion PSV from Eindhoven. A video was posted of people with PSV shorts singing “My dad was in the commandos, my mother in the SS. Together they burned Jews, for Jews burn the best.” A PSV spokesperson expressed his horror at the video.”

www.nltimes.nl/2016/05/11/charges-pressed-psv-supporters-antisemitic-chants/

Deputy Prime Minister: Netherlands and not Morocco has to deal with Ede Hooligans

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Integration Lodewijk Asscher (Labor Party) has said on behalf of the government that the hooligans in the town of Ede have to be dealt with by the Netherlands and not by Morocco. Fifty Moroccan Dutchmen have rioted in the past weeks in the town's Veldhuizen neighborhood.. Ede mayor Cees van der Knaap had called for help from the Moroccan Consul General Khalid Guelzim, who then apologized on behalf of Morocco for the behavior of the youngsters. Van der Knaap has been heavily criticized for his calling on the Moroccan diplomat.   

www.elsevier.nl/nederland/achtergrond/2016/05/asscher-relschoppers-ede-zijn-nederlanders-geen-marokkanen-303827/

UN Think Tank: Billions of Dollars Diverted via the Netherlands

Letterbox companies have deposited about $221 billion dollars in countries with low tax rates, in particular Luxembourg and the Netherlands.  Tax Justice International says that there are more than 20,000 such letterbox companies in Amsterdam which benefit from low Dutch taxes.  As a result, tax authorities worldwide may lose billions of Euros in tax.

www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/vn-denktank-miljarden-weggesluisd-via-nederland~a4294057/

Parliament Concerned about Poor Security at Nuclear Plants

American experts have heavily criticized the poor security at the Dutch nuclear reactors in Borssele, Petten and Delft.  They said that are only equipped with light weaponry, and if there is a terrorist attack, it will take far too long to bring in reinforcements.  A great majority in Parliament has expressed its concern that the nuclear plants are insufficiently guarded.

http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/4275810/2016/04/05/Kamer-vreest-belabberde-beveiliging-kerncentrales.dhtml

State Bodyguard Service: People are overworked and live in a culture of fear

Employees of the DBB, which provides bodyguards for politicians and members of the royal family, complain of abuses and a culture of fear.  They went to the press anonymously because they say that their bosses do not take their complaints seriously and have even taken retaliatory measures.  Furthermore the service is structurally understaffed which increases the problems.  The Dutch police trade union NPB confirms the truth of the complaints. 

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/04/22/te-hoge-werkdruk-en-angstcultuur-bij-staatsbeveiligers

Former deputy minister: Criminals have led to my resignation

Former deputy minister of security and justice, Fred Teeven, says that he had to resign his position because criminals had given information to journalists.  The issue which brought him down was that when he was a prosecutor, Teeven had concluded a financial agreement with a criminal.  It turned out that the money involved was far more than his superior, minister Ivo Opstelten, had reported to Parliament. Opstelten also resigned as a result of this issue.  Teeven maintains that the deal he made with the criminal was a very good one for the government.

www.volkskrant.nl/politiek/teeven-criminelen-hebben-mijn-val-veroorzaakt~a4292445/

Intelligence Service: 9-year-olds going to Syria may pose threat to Netherlands

The General Dutch Intelligence Service (AIVD) has changed its policy and now considers children from the age of 9 who go to Syria as a threat to such an extent that they are being registered.  They will now be counted among the jihadists who have left the Netherlands.  This is due to the fact that minors from the age of 9 years old are being taken by ISIS to military training camps for children.  They learn to use fire-arms and stabbing weapons.  They are also trained to carry out executions.  Girls from the age of 9 are being taught how they should assist their husbands in the armed struggle.  They are also required to wear a veil from that age.

 http://www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/aivd-syrieganger-vanaf-9-jaar-bedreiging-voor-nederland~a4294214/

Ede: Prohibition of Assembly after “Moroccan” riots

Mayor Cees van der Knaap of Ede has decreed a prohibition of Assembly in part of the town's Veldhuizen neighborhood. This after many cases of arson and vandalism by mainly Moroccan rioters in the past days in the neighborhood. The police will be entitled to preventive frisking of people it suspects. Earlier there were problems around New Years Eve.

www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/4294088/2016/05/03/Samenscholingsverbod-Ede-na-Marokkaanse-onlusten.dhtml

Dutch fighter planes not equipped to participate in bombing of IS in Syria

At the end of January the Dutch government decided after lengthy discussions that its F-16 fighter planes would participate in allied bombings of IS in Syria. It now turns out that the U.S which is heading the operations barely uses the Dutch planes because they can only communicate by radio and lack equipment to communicate via satellite

www.elsevier.nl/nederland/achtergrond/2016/05/nederlandse-f-16s-amper-ingezet-boven-syrie-301430/

Cyber-attacks from Russia and China hit record levels

The General Intelligence Service (AIVD) has reported that the Netherlands was the target of a record number of cyber-attacks last year.  Most of these came from Russia and China. They were aimed mainly at government agencies and at innovative Dutch companies. The AIVD says that the Netherlands is “naïve” when it comes to online security.

www.nltimes.nl/2016/04/21/netherlands-naive-as-cyber-attacks-from-russia-china-hit-record-levels/

Major problems expected at Amsterdam airport due to military police shortage

The military police has warned that passengers may face long lines at passport control in July and August at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport, due to a shortage of military police.  The director of military police staff has written to Deputy Justice Minister Dijkhoff that the military police is overloaded due to the additional border controls and the protection of vital institutions.  The management of Schipol Airport has also expressed its concern about the problem.

http://www.telegraaf.nl/reiskrant/25701597/__Puinhoop_dreigt_op_Schiphol__.html