Two police officers from the Noord-Holland force have been arrested in Haarlem for leaking confidential information to the NRC.

One of the two played an important role in exposing problems with discrimination and racism at the Hoefkade police station in The Hague earlier this year and was moved the Haarlemmermeer force in September, the paper said.

The same month, she made a formal complaint about being sexually assaulted by her team leader. He is currently being investigated. A colleague who supported her in the complaint is the other officer who has been arrested, the NRC said.

That officer is suspected of ‘possibly supplying confidential police information’ to third parties. The whistleblower is accused of forgery, making false accusations, perjury and illegally accessing computer information.

Both the police and public prosecution department have confirmed the arrests but declined to comment further, the NRC said.

Ethnic minority

The principle suspect was moved at the beginning of this year after going public with claims of major problems involving the police in the Schilderswijk area of The Hague, a part of the city with a large ethnic minority population.

Her complaints to the police integrity committee led to four police officers facing disciplinary measures for using excessive violence during an arrest. One inspector was sacked and seven others given official warnings, the NRC said.

Another senior police officer who went public with claims about bullying and discrimination in The Hague has also been suspended in a separate case.

Fatima Aboulouafa said she had been marginalised within the force and was eventually transferred to Leiden after she raised concerns about the The Hague’s force being riddled with racism and discrimination.