‘What we do is special and we should be proud of it and cherish it’

Olivia Kramers started her position as the new Director of Education and Deputy Director of the Netherlands Police Academy on 1 September 2025. Now, at the start of the new year, she looks back on her first months, and forward to the future: ‘What we do here is very special. We should be proud of it and cherish it.’

Olivia worked for the police before, between 2003 and 2015. She held various HR and managerial positions in the field of employee development/human resource development. Before she returned to the police organisation, Olivia was Director of HRM and Applied Psychology at Fontys University of Applied Sciences. ‘Returning to the police gave me the feeling of coming home’, she says. ‘The Police Academy was less familiar to me. But what I found here, has made me very happy.'

'Policing and education are the main ingredients of my career, so it felt right immediately. I am very impressed by all that is being done here. I am referring to the wide range of things on offer here; the great diversity in education provided. But I am also really impressed by the quality of education and the dedication of our teachers. And I greatly appreciate all that is being done in the knowledge and research department.’

It is OK to make mistakes

‘Since I have been here, I have spoken to many students of various educational programmes’, Olivia says. ‘I am struck by their intrinsic motivation. In regular vocational education, there are sometimes students who do not really know what they want to study so they just pick something. This is not the case at the Police Academy. Our students are here because they really want to do policing work.'

'What is special – and potentially complicated – is that you are both a student and an employee here. Starting out as an employee immediately is great because you’re doing ‘the real thing’ right from the start. We see that students of Basic Police Training, or in higher police education programmes, are very happy when they enter police practice. This is fantastic. But at the same time, I believe they should be allowed to be students too. That they’re allowed to learn, make mistakes, slow down, or even have a brief time-out.'

'We see that colleagues in police practice sometimes struggle when a student says they don’t quite know how something works. Then the student is easily dismissed as not very good. While this student is still in the middle of their learning process. They should be allowed to be students and to continue learning; I will always watch out for that.’

Focus on the students

‘Our Basic Police Training is based on the students taking control of their own learning process’, Olivia continues. ‘It teaches our students to be autonomous. I think this is very interesting. Students have a lot to tell. Based on their own experiences and their new outlook on things. As a police organisation, we benefit from new voices, diversity, and innovation.'

'I see that students are being involved in many things, but I believe this can be improved even further. We can focus on our students even more. Leonard Kok and I recently consulted with the chairs of the students’ councils. They came with all kinds of suggestions for improvement.'

'It is important for us to connect with these students, captivate them and keep them. They are our human capital. As Directors, we need the input from students and colleagues, we need to hear their voices. So we can create the right conditions for them.’

Acknowledgement and appreciation

The acknowledgment and appreciation of Police Academy personnel is also important to Olivia. ‘Of teachers and all other staff. Education is something you make together: teachers, researchers, support staff, everyone. The teacher is at the forefront of this, they are the key to how quality is perceived in education.'

'What I would love, is if we could improve exchange between the police force and the Police Academy. That it’s really seen as ‘a plus’ in your career, on your cv, if you worked at the Police Academy for some years. That would be great. The underlying thought is: if you are able to teach students what the profession is about, you must be an outstanding professional yourself.'

'Widening your horizon and working in a different environment for some time, is useful for everyone. In this regard, we have a number of ‘ambassadors’ in the police force who taught for several years. They say: it enriched me and made me a better police officer. The newest insights from police practice and innovation of our education will then automatically find its way to the Police Academy. And it brings the educational experience back into operational practice.’

Pride

The Police Academy is currently putting a lot of work into the new strategic agenda for the coming years. ‘It contains many great things I completely concur with’, Olivia says. ‘On the positioning of the Police Academy, for example. We should be very proud of the things we do. In the knowledge and research department they are working on wonderful things. And there’s the development of the new Basic Police Training and how that is still being monitored and enhanced. It’s a mega accomplishment.'

'A new sector is being built in higher police education. Several new bachelor programmes are being developed and actually implemented simultanuously. It is hard work on all accounts. But I see that our people are doing it step by step and very thoroughly, based on their incredible professional expertise. It’s very impressive.'

'In our specialist police training programmes, we welcome representatives of all sections of the police force. Colleagues from all police units come together and exchange experiences and discuss how they can work together. In this regard, our programmes offer more than just training: they also facilitate the building of networks and knowledge development, and therefore development of the profession. That makes it unique.’

The Police Academy belongs to the police and to education

Yet not everyone is positive about the Police Academy’s educational offerings, Olivia knows. ‘Many people have an opinion about our education. Within the force, people often don’t understand how complex our position is. The art for the Police Academy lies in handling this complexity well. And at the same time, always taking into account the interests of police practice.'

'The pace and dynamics in the police organisation will always be higher than in education. Education sometimes needs to pause, to invest and to take some time. The knowledge and research department has even longer timescales.'

'You shouldn’t want to move at the same pace as the police force does. It is not good for our employees, nor for the education itself. But we do need to discuss these matters properly with each other, explain things thoroughly and work together well. And there has to be mutual understanding. Understanding for educational dynamics from the police force , and understanding for the dynamics of the police organisation from the Academy. We need to understand that we each play a different role in the system. This can be quite complicated.’

Taking a firm stance

‘I believe that we as Directors need to take a firm stance in this’, Olivia continues. ‘Act like a sort of a heat shield for our employees. As the Executive Board, we have an important role in ensuring a strong connection with the police force, while protecting our organisation. Not because our employees cannot do so themselves or do not know what they need, but to create the time and space to allow our education and knowledge to excel. At the end of the day, this is most beneficial to the police organisation too. Sometimes we notice that the ink hasn’t even dried before things are already called into question . We need continuity, perseverance, and determination so we can say: we have chosen to do this and will first focus on doing this well. Then we will learn from it, evaluate it, and improve it. But give it a chance first.’

Digitalisation

The strategic agenda also clearly chooses the path of digitalisation. ‘We are going to really incorporate it. This means digital learning, digital working, and a digital transformation. Digitalisation brings risks, but many opportunities too.'

'When looking at educational applications, I see many possibilities for new and more flexible ways of exchanging knowledge. For example, where students can gain knowledge independently of time and place, doing so when and where works best for them. The interaction with a teacher will then revolve around applying this knowledge to a problem. Thist requires a different type of education and a different way of teaching.'

'I also see opportunities in the areas of AI and adaptive learning systems. Digitalisation, digitalisation expertise, and digital resilience are things we really need to invest in. We have quite some developing to do in these areas.’