ROTTERDAM--Former Dutch National Police Chief Gerard Bouman was buried in Rotterdam on Tuesday. Hundreds of police officers formed an honour guard along the route Bouman’s coffin was taken, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported.
Bouman died last week at the age of 64 from the consequences of a heart attack.
Not only Police officials attended the former Police Chief’s funeral. There were also a number of employees from the Ministry of Security and Justice, the Prosecutor’s Office and intelligence service AIVD.
The attendees included caretaker Minster of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk, former Ministers of Security and Justice Ard van der Steur and Ivo Opstelten, Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan, Head of the AIVD Rob Bertholee and Commander of the Armed Forces Tom Middendorp.
Gerard Bouman was the first Chief of the National Police. Under his leadership the 26 regional police forces in the Netherlands were merged into a single, national corps.
Bouman stepped down last year amidst criticism about the reorganization of the Police. He was succeeded by Erik Akerboom.
He was not very popular in the Dutch Caribbean, as he was very critical of the Police Forces of St. Maarten and of the Caribbean Netherlands.
