The cabinet has abandoned plans to introduce thousands of lower-paid ‘street supervisors’ to replace traditional police officers, less than a day after the plan leaked out.

Justice minister Ivo Opstelten said in a statement the plan had been dropped following ‘reports in the media’.
MPs from across the political spectrum, including Opstelten’s own VVD,had condemned the plan, as had the main police union. The new officials would be less well-trained than traditional police officers but they would carry weapons and earn less pay.
‘If must be clear that no new category of police officer is being created,’ he said, stressing that the €30m which would have been saved must be found elsewhere. ‘But this will not be at the expense of police operational strength. There will remain 49,500 police officers.’
The minister said he would send a briefing on the matter to parliament next week.
Earlier stories
Supervisors to replace thousands of police officers
Police budget cuts mean fewer officers in the big cities
Confusion over 3,000 new police officers pledge