Rotterdam police chief Fred Westerbeke has said he is shocked by the findings of an official report into the toxic working situation within the local force.

The NRC said on Tuesday the city centre force was riddled with racism, bullying and sexism and that the report, which was commissioned following complaints, had described the atmosphere as “unsafe”.

Complaints included racism, sexism, alcohol abuse and excessive force against citizens, with one Surinamese officer being told “he must have eaten all the bananas” and young female officers figuring on so-called banga lists.

There have also been numerous complaints about heavy handed officers who hit citizens on the thigh, destroying mobile phones in the process.

“As unit leaders we are shocked by the conclusions of the report, which are serious. (..) We accept the recommendations made by the investigators,” Westerbeke told current affairs programme Nieuwsuur.

One of the recommendations concerned tackling failing leadership, but the officers who complained fear the report will be swept under the carpet.

“No measures have been taken against the perpetrators and the officers who suffered the abuse are on sick leave,” one of six officers told the NRC.

Another officer said it is “incredible that the two team chiefs who are responsible for the problems are now being tasked with making changes.”

Some 230 police officers are attached to the Rotterdam-Centrum force.

Rotterdam police have been under fire for several incidents over the past few years. In 2021, five officers were given an official warning about racist messages on Whatsapp. 2022, Westerbeke apologised for a racist incident in which a person being arrested was called the n-word. Earlier this year, an investigation began into racist chats involving both Rotterdam and Amsterdam police officers.