Organisation Opening of the Police Educational Year: knowledge is the pivot that education revolves around Written on Monday, September 1, 2025 How does the Netherlands Police Academy train police personnel to be resilient and stand firm in an ever more turbulent society? That was the theme of the opening ceremony of the Police Educational Year on Monday 1 September. ‘It’s the teachers that make the education’, said Leonard Kok, Director of the Police Academy. ‘This year’s opening is special’, he said. ‘Fifty years ago, this complex was opened as a police educational location by then Minister Dries van Agt. This man, who would go on to become Prime Minister of the Netherlands, had a talent for making beautiful speeches.' 'I know a detail from the speech he made during the opening. ‘By electing to establish a Police Academy here, with a library, the police are demonstrating that they are not only the strong arm of the law but have brains too.’ This was an important observation, because being a knowledge institute is very important to the Police Academy.’ The people gathered in the atrium of the Police Academy included lecturers, guests, but most of all students. The atmosphere was relaxed: there was laughter, but also attention for the various speakers. The art of communication The opening of the Police Educational Year started with three mini lectures. The subject of the first lecture was ‘negotiating with people who believe disinformation’. Harald van Opzeeland, coordinator of the Security, Protection & Interventions team at the Police Academy in Ossendrecht, said everyone has a different reality. ‘Communication is important. As a police officer you often have to deal with other people’s emotional or instinctive reactions. Then it is particularly important that your message is clear and that you think carefully about how you are going to say it. First try to understand how the other thinks before asking questions or taking a next step. The art of communication begins with listening.’ A clock confronts you with the passing of time The last mini lecture addressed the new Code of Criminal Procedure. The current Code is a hundred years old. It is time for a modern version, said Laura, conversion training coordinator, and Lieke, strategic adviser for the Learning Task - New Code of Criminal Procedure. ‘What does the new Code mean for education? All the courses, including the test questions, must be adapted. But there is more: certain terminology will also change. So, language skills lecturers must be aware of this.’ After the mini lecture, Leonard unveiled a clock which counts down to the moment the new Code will enter into force on 1 April 2029. In addition to the number of days left, this clock shows a new interesting fact about the new Code every day. ‘The police know very well how to act in the event of a crisis’, explained Leonard. ‘But this is more complicated. We really have to get down to work if we want to be ready by 2029. To remind us of this, we designed a countdown clock.’ ‘The new Code of Criminal Procedure will affect everybody who works in the police force. The countdown clock is intended to make people aware that something is going to change. The clock confronts you with the fact that each day that passes leaves you with less time. It also highlights the long period of time invested in this huge project. It’s good to be able to show this to everyone who visits the Police Academy.’ ‘Not set in stone’ Chair of the day Piet-Hein Peeters engaged in a talk with Leonard and Commissioner Janny Knol. ‘An important part of ‘standing firm’ is visibility’, said Janny. ‘But standing firm does not mean your ideas have to be set in stone. Sometimes you get a new perspective. If you engage in dialogue about this perspective – at the police station or in the classroom, for example – you can learn a great deal. Speaking your mind about how we can serve society in the best way is also a form of standing firm.’ ‘What kind of police officers do you need to be able to stand firm? In my opinion, the police must be there for everybody’, explained Janny. ‘The way we work must really be based on equality. This means that you sometimes have to protect a small group of people against a larger group.’ What do you stand for as a police officer? The conversation then turned to the importance of good teaching. Training people to stand firm in a turbulent society requires a lot from lecturers. Miranda Nibourg, lecturer of the community policing course, talked about her work as a community police officer. ‘What do you stand for as a police officer?’, she asked the audience. She incorporates her policing experience in her work as a lecturer. ‘I have a crucial role in training the police officers of the future. I also coach students. That is not always easy, because there are sensitive issues at play in society that you need to include in your lectures.’ A thinking police force Jan Nap, lecturer of Best Practices Development at the Police Academy reflected on the concept of ‘standing firm’. ‘A credible democracy based on the rule of law requires a thinking police force’, he explained. ‘At the same time, I note that the police must invest more in their thinking and take it more seriously. And that will have consequences, not only for the Police Academy’s education but also for learning within the entire police force.’ ‘I would therefore recommend seeing the opening of the educational year as the opening of the learning year for the entire police force. Thinking is required, but will not automatically ensue from practice, and this represents a major challenge for all those who contribute to developing the police profession and police personnel. Those contributors are, of course, the police officers themselves, but also their teachers and supervisors.’ Serving the rule of law The last item of the afternoon was an interview of Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel by chair of the day Piet-Hein, which was joined by Sarah Rust, chair of the Higher Police Education student council. They discussed serving the rule of law or serving the administration. The minister did not consider there to be a discrepancy in the Dutch situation. ‘The courts test or decide whether decisions were lawful or not. The executive branch is positioned in between. If these powers start pointing the finger at one another, I believe we are undermining the rule of law.’ The opening was concluded with a video link to the Police Academy clock tower, where two students were ready to symbolically usher in the new educational year and announce to the outside world that a new educational year had begun. To continue building a better, stronger and future-proof police force.