Police to stop organising own religious gatherings from 2027
Officers may continue attending such gatherings, but from January the police will no longer organise them itself.
The National Police will introduce a new framework for external gatherings with a religious character from 1 January 2027. The police aims to emphasise neutrality without completely severing contact with religious communities.
According to the police, from next year the force will no longer organise external gatherings centred on religious activities or rituals. The decision applies to all religions and worldviews. Internal gatherings organised by and for police employees may continue.
Police employees may still attend gatherings organised by others on behalf of the police. This could include activities around Christmas, Ramadan, Easter, Hanukkah, Diwali, the Purim festival or Holi Phagwa. Under the new framework, officers may not perform religious rituals there, either in uniform or in plain clothes.
The police justifies the distinction by pointing to the importance of contact and trust. Employees must be able to remain in dialogue with residents, communities and civil-society organisations. At the same time, the organisation wants to avoid giving the impression that it actively supports one faith or worldview. The boundary therefore lies in organising events itself and performing religious acts.
The framework follows political debate about the role of religion within the police. The Lower House (Tweede Kamer) asked the Minister of Justice and Security for a framework for action concerning religious gatherings. The parliamentary record shows that the issue had already been raised in an earlier committee debate.
How the new rule is experienced will depend on its practical implementation. An officer attending a gathering to gather signals from a community will have scope to do so. A police unit organising a religious celebration itself will not. In this way, the police is trying to meet two demands at once: the visible neutrality of the state and a continuing presence in a religiously diverse society.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- From 2027, the police will no longer organise external religious gatherings.
- Officers may still attend such gatherings.
- Religious rituals by police employees are not permitted there.
Left
Arguments Contact with religious communities is important for trust and safety. Neutrality should not mean that the police withdraws from communities where it needs information and cooperation.
Values Inclusion, equal treatment and social cohesion.
Consequences An overly strict policy could make minority communities in particular feel that the government is distancing itself.
Centre
Arguments The police must remain visibly neutral, but does not need to be socially absent. The distinction between attending and organising events itself offers a workable institutional boundary.
Values Neutrality, professionalism and trust in the public service.
Consequences Clear local guidelines are needed to prevent arbitrariness and new debates about exceptions.
Right
Arguments A government organisation should not organise or promote religious celebrations. Officers should focus on safety and the equal application of the law, regardless of faith.
Values Secularism, uniformity and public neutrality.
Consequences A stricter framework could strengthen the police’s authority, but could make cooperation with communities more difficult.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The content of the framework for action comes from the National Police and is consistent with an earlier parliamentary commitment. No unverifiable interpretations have been presented as facts.
- confirmed From 1 January 2027, the police will stop organising external religious gatherings itself. — This is stated in the police’s new framework for action. source
- confirmed Police employees may continue attending external religious gatherings. — The police explicitly states this in its explanation. source
- confirmed The minister had promised the House a framework for action. — The Lower House recorded the commitment on 9 September 2026. source
Editor's note
The new rules, start date and exceptions have been directly confirmed by the police. The consequences for individual local partnerships remain to be seen in practice.Sources
- Nieuw handelingskader externe bijeenkomsten met religieus karakter — Nationale Politie
- Toezegging bij Politie — Tweede Kamer
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „politie religie”
- Het Parool — „politie religie”
- Trouw — „politie religie”