THE HAGUE--The Party for Freedom PVV in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament is seeking clarity following media reports that Chief Prosecutor of the Caribbean Netherlands Henry Hambeukers has instigated the shooting of roaming dogs in Bonaire.
Members of Parliament (MPs) Lilian Helder and Martin Graus of the PVV consider it incomprehensible and unacceptable that the Chief Prosecutor in an email to the local police officers explicitly approved the shooting of dogs that are roaming the streets in Bonaire.
Helder and Graus on Thursday sent written questions to Minister of Justice and Security Ferd Grapperhaus and Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Carola Schouten regarding the article in the newspaper Telegraaf on April 5 headlined “Fuss about shooting down dogs in Bonaire.”
The newspaper quoted from emails it had received. Those emails showed that the Chief Prosecutor had encouraged police officers to shoot down roaming domestic animals. The issue started with an email from a local veterinarian who asked the Police Force what to do about a pack of dogs that had bitten another dog to death. The veterinarian asked the police to request the dog owner to keep his animals inside.
A police officer decided to forward the veterinarian’s email to the Prosecutor’s Office in Bonaire and to ask for advice what to do in this case. Hambeukers advised the officer to indicate the dogs as being dangerous so they can be shot next time if they are on the street again without a muzzle or not on a leash.
The Chief Prosecutor gave even more direct, far-reaching advice: “Go to the scene when the dogs are outside, say that the dogs can’t be caught and shoot them down.” A spokesperson of the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that emails of this nature had been sent, but that Hambeukers’ advice was all in accordance with the local dog ordinance which states that roaming dogs can be shot if they are uncatchable.
According to MPs Helder and Graus, the Chief Prosecutor acted in violation of the same dog ordinance by telling the police to say that it cannot catch the dogs and subsequently shoot them down.
The MPs not only asked the Ministers to share their view on this issue, but to also take action against the Chief Prosecutor for encouraging police officers to lie and even violate the oath of office. Helder and Graus called Hambeukers’ actions “unworthy of a Chief Prosecutor.”
The Ministers were further asked about the legislation in the Caribbean Netherlands regarding the welfare of animals. The MPs wanted to know why the law was different in Bonaire and whether the Dutch Government was willing to arrange that animal welfare legislation was the same in the Netherlands and on the islands.
Coincidently, the Kingdom Council of Ministers decided on Friday to approve a proposal of Minister Grapperhaus to appoint a new Chief Prosecutor for the Caribbean Netherlands per July 18. Bote ter Steeg, currently a senior Prosecutor in Amsterdam, will succeed Hambeukers who will be returning to the Netherlands.
