The Dutch intelligence service Team Public Order Intelligence spies on mostly innocent citizens in an illegal manner, according to research by RTL Nieuws. According to the Ministry of Justice and Security and the National Police, the actions of the TOOI are not illegal.
Based on the rules of the Police Act, the relevant intelligence service would follow individuals and groups if there is an indication that those involved have committed a crime. pose a threat to public order, says RTL News. According to the news service, various techniques are used for this, from infiltrating groups to secretly following people, physically and online. Paid informants are also said to be used for information gathering.
Police officers themselves are also asked to register information about subjects with a so-called CTER label. Persons or groups can receive a Counter Terrorism Extremism Radicalization label if the TOOI considers that there is a possible risk of disruption of public order. There are eight such CTER labels; someone can pose a general threat, or be labeled, for example, as a jihadist terrorist, left-wing or right-wing extremist, separatist or animal or environmental extremist.
According to RTL News, several experts have stated that it is suspected that someone is the would disrupt public order is ‘entirely insufficient’ to subsequently infringe on that person’s privacy. In addition, there would be uncertainty about what TOOI exactly understands by this threat to public order. Among other things, a peaceful and pre-announced demonstration against a slaughterhouse was labeled as environmental extremism by the intelligence service.
In a response, the Ministry of Justice and Security and the National Police say that the actions of the TOOI, which is an independent intelligence service, not be illegal. In some cases, ‘only a minor invasion of privacy’ would be made, which is allowed according to the Police Act. Incidentally, mayors are responsible for supervising the TOOI, but in an article on Regioburgmeesters.nl say two intelligence service team bosses themselves that this hardly ever happens. RTL writes that the responsible mayors recognize that supervision of the service must be improved.
The Public Order Intelligence Team was established in 2013 as an independent intelligence service for the National Police. The service must gather information about potential perpetrators of public order disturbances.
