The Dutch Labor Inspectorate has once again granted the police an extension to resolve the issues with the C2000 communication system. The new deadline is set for October 31. Initially, the police had to fix the defects by June 7 at the latest.
The communication system has been plagued by malfunctions for years. This can endanger the safety of police officers, especially in crisis situations. The Labor Inspectorate now acknowledges that the police are taking steps towards a solution and is therefore granting extra time to implement the necessary measures everywhere. The penalty payment of 325,000 euros linked to the deadline does not yet have to be paid.
There was also talk of postponement earlier: the original deadline was February 21. Then, too, the deadline was postponed because the inspection saw that the police were making progress.
The police must now first develop emergency scenarios in case C2000 fails again. Agents must know exactly what to do in that case, and the police are required to actively inform them about it.
C2000 also failed during New Year’s Eve. Outgoing Justice Minister David van Weel stated in January that the cause of that malfunction had to be resolved before the NATO summit at the end of June. The new deadline is months after the NATO summit.
The Labor Inspectorate emphasizes that it is not concerned with which system the police use for communication, but that the system must work. “Especially in crisis situations.”