New Code of Criminal Procedure requires largest training effort to date

On 1 April, the Dutch House of Representatives approved the new Dutch Code of Criminal Procedure*. The current Code dates from 1926 and is now nearly one hundred years old. The new Code will grant the police better options to fight new forms of crime, such as digital offences. The current Code is no longer adequate in this respect.

Now the new Code has been approved, the Netherlands Police Academy faces the largest training effort in the history of the Netherlands Police. In total, 60,000 police professionals will need to receive supplementary training so they can continue to perform their duties as required. *The proposed Code of Criminal Procedure will now be reviewed by the Dutch Senate, which will vote on it in 2026.

‘The Code of Criminal Procedure is really in need of updating’, Rik de Boer explains. He is the former Sector Head of Basic Police Training. Currently, he works as Strategic Advisor to the Directorate and focuses on this training effort.

‘None of the Section numbers will remain the same, the order of the Sections will change, and various new technologies for criminal investigations will be added to the Code. We will ensure that the educational programmes provided by the Police Academy are amended. We will do the same for the Operational Coaching and Training Department of the Netherlands Police, in cooperation with the National Programme for the New Code of Criminal Procedure.’

‘We will also develop the supplementary training. This does not just involve our own lecturers, but also the police units and how they plan to train their employees. It is an enormous task, and we really need to cooperate to ensure it is carried out well.’

‘The more progress we make now, the less pressure there will be in the final phase’

The Ministry of Justice and Security has determined that the new Code will formally enter into force on 1 April 2029. ‘This may seem far away, but it really isn’t’, Rik explains. ‘We are currently working on a plan per sector on everything that will change, and consequently on all that needs to be amended. This process will be completed by the end of this year.’

‘In 2026, our lecturers will get involved. Many people think the new Code is still far away, but they do not realise that we need to have our educational programmes fully developed by the end of 2027. This is the case for both the Police Academy and the Operational Coaching and Training Department. Moreover, the supplementary training of our lecturers and instructors also needs to be completed by then, so we can start providing training to all other colleagues in 2028.’

‘For this reason, I want to inspire a sense of urgency, for the more progress we make now, the less pressure there will be in the final phase.’ Rik emphasises ‘The police is more than just a crisis organisation that can act quickly when needed. What we need now is a step-by-step approach.'

‘At the moment, we are in the process of categorising the various groups within the police organisation. Once we have mapped these target groups, we can determine what their knowledge level of the current Code is. Then we will tailor a supplementary training programme to each group. All in consultation with the various police units, of course. On the basis of this preparatory work, we will be able to provide educational packages and training sessions on the things that have changed compared to existing education programmes. These will then be used for supplementary training in the police units.’

Knowledge of the new Code versus the current Code

‘There is more at play’, Rik says. ‘We are also dealing with questions like when will we start teaching students enrolled in Basic Police Training about this? Students who will graduate in 2029 need to know the new Code, but the current Code will still be in effect during their practical training in the police unit. And what about the police officers working in police practice? When the new Code has entered into force, they will also be working on cases to which the old Code still applies.’

‘One of the biggest tasks? Police professionals need to know the new Code, while still working with the old one. We want to keep this transition period as short as possible, but this is difficult as it affects many people. The central question is how to retain knowledge that you will not use immediately but need to have available when the new Code enters into force. And how will we offer this knowledge to this many people?’

‘Via an online training, by using a train-the-trainer method? Or do we need to temporarily hire additional staff, and if so, how many? These are matters that we are already thinking about now. Under the guidance of the National Programme for the New Code of Criminal Procedure, we will make decisions on these matters.’

‘Objective: avoid making preventable errors’

‘For me, this training requirement is a success when we have successfully trained the instructors and the police units in the new subject matter’ Rik adds. ‘And if they are pleased with the result. I think it’s important that instructors and participants enjoy working with the new teaching materials.’

‘As an organisation, we have been successful if we update our professional knowledge to such an extent by 2029 and 2030 that we are well-versed in the new Code and are able to avoid making preventable errors due to a lack of knowledge, for we don’t want any suspects to be released or charges against them dropped because of errors. We need to ensure that this transition goes smoothly, and that all police officers have the necessary basic knowledge.’

‘I hope we succeed in using the coming years effectively to ensure that everything turns out well.’