Volunteering is not a panacea for shortages

On October 11, an article appeared in Het Parool titled “Shortage of enforcement officers: will Amsterdam volunteers police the city?” It stated that the Amsterdam CDA party is advocating for city reservists to address the shortage of enforcement officers on the streets. A pilot program involving Amsterdam residents volunteering as enforcement officers is being embraced by the council. The Amsterdam Volunteer Center has some opinions on this. Therefore, we wrote the following letter to the editor to Het Parool, which was published on December 17:

Using volunteers as law enforcement officers? That’s too easy.

There’s a shortage of law enforcement officers in Amsterdam. The proposed solution by CDA party leader Rogier Havelaar? We’ll have volunteers do it. We at the Amsterdam Volunteer Center hear this often. More than 250,000 Amsterdammers are committed and do very important and valuable things that we wholeheartedly support. But volunteering isn’t a panacea for all shortages. What’s the reason there aren’t enough people willing to do this work for pay? And what makes it assumed that people will be willing to do it unpaid? One of the main reasons people volunteer is because they enjoy it. What makes this a fun and interesting volunteer opportunity? In our view, this is step one, and we’re happy to contribute our knowledge and expertise to address it. Shall we make an appointment, Rogier? Enjoyment is important; only then can a win-win situation arise. Moreover, volunteers need attention and proper guidance. This requires time, money, and a sound volunteer policy. We believe this idea can only be successful if these conditions are met.

Henriette van der Meij,
Director of the Amsterdam Volunteer Center

Following this letter to the editor and the post on LinkedIn, we will soon be speaking with CDA faction leader Rogier Havelaar.

Photo by Jakub Zerdzicki