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Dutch proposal for a European Police Institute.

01 March 1991

A Dutch committee headed by Dr Piet van Reenen director of the Dutch Police Academy has presented a feasibility study, "Europees Politie Instituut: een perfect idee (European Police Institute: a perfect idea)" to Minister of Home Affairs Mrs. Ien Dales. The study advises concentrating all activities of an EPI in one location as far as possible and suggests the TREVI group be approached to found the institute. The minister however prefers to have some officials of her ministry and the ministry of justice look at it first. The IPE would be a centre for education and training documentation and research on a European level. Officials of the different European countries stated in interviews that the institute should focus on differences in culture laws and competence and the various aspects of international cooperation. The institute should be open to police personnel with a minimum of two years of experience in an officer's rank which would amount to some 4000 persons. Another target group would be commanding or policymaking police officers with 10-15 years of experience. Language of communication at the institute would be English. As a possible location for the IPE the Dutch town Maastricht is suggested situated at the Dutch-Belgian-German border. Last year in a much-cited article on European police cooperation ("Policing Europe after 1992. Cooperation and Competition" European Affairs 1989 No.2 pp. 45-53) Dr Van Reenen suggested that small European countries should take initiatives on international cooperation in these sensitive matters to avoid the impression that some influential country would use "1992" as a means of extending its influence in Europe. Public opinion would be more willing to accept such initiatives from Holland or Denmark than from Germany or France. Mr. Van Reenen can be reached at: Nederlandse Politie-Academie, De Kleiberg, 15, 7312 SN Apeldoorn, tel. 31 55 550844.