Report Police Conduct: Three Forms

Introduction

On GayJustice.org you can document reports in situations where police conduct itself (or failure to act) is central. These are not general complaints, but legally relevant reports concerning possible violations of rights, including LGBTIQ+ rights.

Below we explain the three main forms.

Documentation of Systemic Problems in Police Conduct

An individual report can often struggle to lead to prosecution. But where individual reports stand strong, there is a need for insight. And where insight emerges, so does the possibility for oversight and correction.

This is the core of GayJustice.org's reporting project: not primarily to prosecute each case individually, but to make patterns visible for which regulation, policy, and oversight can be deployed.

Discrimination within the Dutch military has previously come to light publicly. Signals received by GayJustice.org suggest that similar issues cannot be ruled out within the police apparatus. By systematically documenting reports, a factual picture emerges.

Data Collection and Parliamentary Accountability

GayJustice.org collects reports anonymously and in aggregate. This makes it possible to:

• identify patterns in police conduct
• reveal geographic differences in legal protection
• pose questions of accountability to policymakers
• make scientifically researched data available for policy formation

The collected insights can be made public through Parliamentary investigative powers, civil proceedings, and media reporting. This gives parliamentarians, lawyers, and media the tools to raise systemic issues.

This is not activism that bypasses the rule of law. This is precisely a necessary condition for the rule of law to function.

Report Against a Police Officer

A report against a police officer is appropriate when an individual officer may have committed a criminal act. The status of "police" does not provide immunity.

Examples:

• discriminatory remarks or treatment based on sexual orientation
• assault, threats, or intimidation
• abuse of authority
• unlawful deprivation of liberty

The report focuses on the personal conduct of the officer and is legally evaluated by the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Through GayJustice.org, you document this report factually, chronologically, and verifiably.

Report Against Police Conduct (Institutional Action)

In addition to individual conduct, police conduct as a whole can be the subject of a report. This concerns situations where the conduct itself may be unlawful or criminal, independent of one specific officer.

Examples:

• disproportionate force during arrest or stop
• systemic discriminatory stops
• joint intimidation or humiliation
• conduct contrary to human rights or equality principles

Here the report targets the conduct of the police as an organization (or unit), with individual responsibility to be determined later.

GayJustice.org assists in legally defining this type of report, so it is not dismissed as "disagreement" or an internal complaint.

Report Against Failure to Follow Up on a Report

The failure to take, register, or follow up on a report by the police can also be legally significant. This occurs regularly in practice with reports of discrimination and anti-gay violence.

Examples:

• refusal to take a report
• taking a report but not providing a statement of facts
• no follow-up or feedback without explanation
• systemic disregard of reports from LGBTIQ+ persons

In such cases there may be:

• violation of legal protection
• unequal treatment
• failure of duty or misconduct in office

Through GayJustice.org you can also document this failure to act as a reportable offense.

Why This Distinction Matters

In many cases these forms overlap. By making an explicit distinction between:

• who acted (the officer),
• what happened (the conduct),
• and what did not happen (the follow-up),

your report becomes legally sharper, more testable, and less easily ignored.

GayJustice.org is designed to clearly structure this complexity, without filtering emotions but with legal rigor.

Legal Position of GayJustice.org

GayJustice.org is an initiative of Stichting Vrijheid & Gelijkheid and functions as:

• documentation and recording platform
• legal information point
• supportive link to formal institutions

We are not a law enforcement agency, do not make decisions about prosecution, and do not provide individual legal advice.

SEO-anchored core concepts (substantively integrated):

report police • report against police officer • report against police conduct • police refuses report • police discrimination • violation LGBTIQ+ rights • legal protection Netherlands

The Significance of Inaction

This addition makes clear that inaction by police can also be legally relevant. In a rule of law, it matters not only what is done, but also what is wrongfully left undone.