Netherlands
Police are failing to follow up thousands of tips from international partner agencies because of a shortage of personnel and outdated IT equipment.
The LIRC, the division of the public prosecution office that deals with cross-border enquiries, has a backlog of around 3,900 requests, AD reports. Staff say Dutch investigators risk missing crucial information about terrorism and organised crime. The number of queries from foreign agencies has risen from 166,000 to around 250,000 in the last five years, largely because of increased efforts to tackle terrorism, but the LIRC’s staffing level is more or less unchanged at 150. Insiders told the newspaper that an extra 100 personnel are needed to meet the extra caseload. One source said: ‘We are not in a good position as an international partner.’
Last year Dutch authorities were severely criticised for not picking up crucial information from the FBI about suicide bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who travelled from Turkey via the Netherlands to Brussels, where he blew himself up at the airport. Justice minister Ard van der Steur told parliament that El Bakraoui had been deported from Turkey a month after being arrested near the Syrian border on suspicion of fighting for ISIS. Dutch authorities did not ask why he had been deported or follow up information from their Belgian partners indicating he had links to terrorist organisations.
Source dutchnews.nl
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